Intrinsic – Extrinsic religious orientation

Abstract

The Intrinsic – Extrinsic religious orientation scale, primarily developed by Gordon Allport and Ross (1967), building upon earlier work by Feagin (1964), is a widely recognized psychological scale designed to measure the motivational basis of religious commitment. It posits two distinct types of religiousness: Intrinsic Religious Orientation (I) and Extrinsic Religious Orientation (E). The intrinsic type represents a deep, internalized faith that serves as a master motive guiding one’s entire life, viewing religion as an end in itself. Conversely, the extrinsic type utilizes religion for utilitarian purposes, such as social status, comfort, security, or self-justification, viewing religion as a means to achieve non-religious goals. The scale has been foundational in the study of religion and prejudice, frequently showing a link between extrinsic orientation and higher levels of prejudice.

Keywords

Religious orientation, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, Allport, Ross, Feagin, I-E Scale, religious commitment, prejudice, psychometrics.

Authors

James R. Feagin, Gordon W. Allport, J. Michael Ross.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Intrinsic – Extrinsic religious orientation scale is to provide a psychometrically sound measure distinguishing between two fundamentally different approaches to religion. The scale helps researchers categorize individuals based on whether their faith is deeply personal and holistic (intrinsic) or pragmatic and self-serving (extrinsic). This distinction is crucial for exploring the relationship between religiousness and various social attitudes, particularly prejudice, altruism, and mental health outcomes.

The scale was specifically intended to address the paradox that while religious adherence is often associated with moral virtue, studies frequently demonstrated that religious individuals often exhibited greater levels of prejudice compared to non-religious counterparts. Allport proposed that this discrepancy was due to the difference in the type of religious motivation, which the I-E Scale was designed to capture.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of Religious Orientation, which is understood as the way an individual approaches and utilizes their faith. This construct is delineated into two orthogonal dimensions, although this interpretation has been subject to debate and revision over time:

• Intrinsic Religious Orientation (I): This orientation reflects an individual who has fully internalized their religious beliefs. Religion is the dominant, overarching motive in their life, guiding all thoughts and actions. The faith is lived out comprehensively, providing meaning and purpose. For the intrinsically motivated person, religion is an end in itself, sought for its own sake.
• Extrinsic Religious Orientation (E): This orientation reflects a utilitarian approach to religion. The individual uses their faith instrumentally to meet other, non-religious needs, such as gaining comfort, achieving social acceptance, establishing community standing, or finding security in times of crisis. For the extrinsically motivated person, religion is a means to achieve personal, social, or psychological benefits.

Validity

Initial studies by Allport and Ross (1967) demonstrated conceptual validity by linking the two orientations to distinct behavioral and attitudinal outcomes. The Extrinsic Religious Orientation consistently showed a positive correlation with measures of prejudice (e.g., anti-Black or anti-Jewish sentiment), providing strong construct validity for its conceptualization as a self-serving use of religion. Conversely, the Intrinsic Religious Orientation was generally found to be either uncorrelated or negatively correlated with prejudice.

Later research challenged the initial assumption that Intrinsic and Extrinsic dimensions were truly bipolar opposites. Many studies found that scores on the I and E subscales were often positively correlated, leading to the development of revised models, such as the categorization of individuals into four groups: intrinsically religious, extrinsically religious, indiscriminately pro-religious (high on both I and E), and indiscriminately non-religious (low on both I and E). This highlights ongoing debates regarding the scale’s structural validity and its ability to capture complex religious motivations fully.

Reliability

The reliability of the I-E Scale, particularly the version standardized by Allport and Ross (1967), has generally been reported as acceptable to good in various populations. Studies often report internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) for the Intrinsic Religious Orientation subscale ranging from approximately 0.75 to 0.90, indicating high consistency among items measuring deep commitment.

Reliability for the Extrinsic Religious Orientation subscale has also been reported within acceptable ranges (typically 0.70 to 0.85). However, some researchers, including Hood (1971), noted discrepancies in scoring procedures between the original Feagin (1964) items and the later Allport and Ross (1967) revision, suggesting that careful attention must be paid to the specific version and scoring method used when assessing reliability across different studies.

Factor Analysis

Early factor analyses often supported the two-factor structure (Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic). However, the finding that I and E scores were often positively correlated rather than negatively correlated led to extensive psychometric refinement and debate. Subsequent factor analyses frequently suggested that the scale might not measure two independent dimensions, but rather that the Extrinsic subscale itself contained two separable factors: Extrinsic-Social (using religion for group acceptance) and Extrinsic-Personal (using religion for comfort and protection).

The recognition of these sub-factors led to the development of revised scales, such as the Age Universal Intrinsic-Extrinsic Scale (Hoge, 1972) and measures proposed by Kirkpatrick (1989), which attempted to refine the factor structure and address the issue of indiscriminate religiosity—a pattern where individuals score high on both intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions, suggesting that the items, as originally constructed, did not perfectly isolate the underlying motives.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire.

Format: Typically a 21-item scale (12 extrinsic, 9 intrinsic) using a 4-point Likert-type response format, though scoring and item inclusion have varied across studies (e.g., the original Feagin scale had 20 items).

Language Available: Primarily English, but translated and adapted into numerous languages for cross-cultural psychological research.

Population Group: General population, often used with college students or adult religious adherents.

Age Group: Adolescents and adults (typically 16+).

Population Details: Originally validated on Christian populations in the United States, but later applied across various religious traditions globally.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with statements reflecting either an intrinsic motivation (e.g., religion guides all life dealings) or an extrinsic motivation (e.g., religion provides comfort or social standing). Scores are calculated by summing responses for each subscale independently.

The original PDF containing this instrument can be downloaded here: Measures of social psychological attitudes.

Keywords

Religious motivation, psychological measurement, scales of religiosity, I-E orientation, social psychology of religion, psychometric testing.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not available for historical authors).

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not available).

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not available).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The core conceptualization dates back to Feagin (1964) and Allport (1966), with the definitive 21-item version published by Allport and Ross in 1967. Given its age and widespread use in academic literature, the scale is generally considered to be in the public domain for non-commercial academic research purposes, particularly as it was included in the 1969 compilation, Measures of Political Attitudes, published by the Institute for Social Research (ISR). Researchers should nonetheless cite Allport and Ross (1967) when using the instrument. No specific licensing fee is typically required for academic use.

Reference’s

• Allport, G. W., & Kramer, B. M. (1946). Some roots of prejudice. Journal of Psychology, 22, 9-39.
• Allport, G. W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley.
• Wilson, C. (1960). Extrinsic religious values and Prejudice. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 60, 286-288.
• Feagin, J. (1964). Prejudice and religious types: a focused study of southern fundamentalists. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 4, 3-13.
• Allport, G. W. (1966). Religious context of prejudice. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 5, 447-457.
• Allport, G. W., & Ross, J. M. (1967). Personal religious orientations and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5(4), 432-443.
• Robinson, John P., Shaver, Phillip R. (1969). Measures of Political Attitudes. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan.
• Hood, Ralph W. (1971). A Comparison of the Allport and Feagin Scoring Procedures for Intrinsic/Extrinsic Religious Orientation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 10(4), 370-374.

Items of the Intrinsic – Extrinsic religious orientation

Extrinsic Subscale

1. What religion offers me most is comfort when sorrows and misfortune strike.
   • a. I definitely disagree
   • b. I tend to disagree
   • c. I tend to agree
   • d. I definitely agree
2. One reason for my being a church member is that such membership helps to establish a person in the community.
   • a. Definitely not true
   • b. Tends not to be true
   • c. Tends to be true
   • d. Definitely true
3. The purpose of prayer is to secure a happy and peaceful life.
   • a. I definitely disagree
   • b. I tend to disagree
   • c. I tend to agree
   • d. I definitely agree
4. It doesn’t matter so much what I believe so long as I lead a moral life.
   • a. I definitely disagree
   • b. I tend to disagree
   • c. I tend to agree
   • d. I definitely agree
5. Although I am a religious person I refuse to let religious considerations influence my everyday affairs.
   • a. Definitely not true of me
   • b. Tends not to be true
   • c. Tends to be true
   • d. Clearly true in my case
6. The church is most important as a place to formulate good social relationships.
   • a. I definitely disagree
   • b. I tend to disagree
   • c. I tend to agree
   • d. I definitely agree
7. Although I believe in my religion, I feel there are many more important things in my life.
   • a. I definitely disagree
   • b. I tend to disagree
   • c. I tend to agree
   • d. I definitely agree
8. I pray chiefly because I have been taught to pray.
   • a. Definitely true of me
   • b. Tends to be true
   • c. Tends not to be true
   • d. Definitely not true of me
9. A primary reason for my interest in religion is that my church is a congenial social activity.
   • a. Definitely not true of me
   • b. Tends not to be true
   • c. Tends to be true
   • d. Definitely true of me
10. Occasionally I find it necessary to compromise my religious beliefs in order to protect my social and economic well – being.
    • a. Definitely disagree
    • b. Tend to disagree
    • c. Tend to agree
    • d. Definitely agree
11. The primary purpose of prayer is to gain relief and protection.
    • a. I definitely agree
    • b. I tend to agree
    • c. I tend to disagree
    • d. I definitely disagree
12. Religion helps to keep my life balanced and steady in exactly the same way as my citizenship, friendships, and other memberships do. (This item not used by Allport and Ross.)
    • a. I definitely agree
    • b. I tend to agree
    • c. I tend to disagree
    • d. I definitely disagree

Intrinsic Subscale

1. I try hard to carry my religion over in to all my other dealing sin life.
   • a. I definitely disagree
   • b. I tend to disagree
   • c. I tend to agree
   • d. I definitely agree
2. Quite often I have been keenly aware of the presence of God or the Divine Being.
   • a. Definitely not true
   • b. Tends not to be true
   • c. Tends to be true
   • d. Definitely true
3. My religious beliefs are what really lie behind my whole approach to life.
   • a. This is definitely not so
   • b. Probably not so
   • c. Probably so
   • d. Definitely so
4. The prayer s I say when I am alone carry as much meaning and personal emotion as those said by me during services.
   • a. Almost never
   • b. Sometimes
   • c. Usually
   • d. Almost always
5. If not prevented by unavoidable circumstances, I attend church:
   • a. more than once a week
   • b. about once a week
   • c. two or three times a month
   • d. less than once a month
6. If I were to join a church group I would prefer to join (1) a Bible Study group, or (2) a social fellowship.
   • a. I would prefer to join (1)
   • b. I probably would prefer (1)
   • c. I probably would prefer (2)
   • d. I would prefer to join (2)
7. Religion is especially important to me because it answers many questions about the meaning of life.
   • a. Definitely disagree
   • b. Tend to disagree
   • c. Tend to agree
   • d. Definitely agree
8. I read literature about my faith (or church).
   • a. Frequently
   • b. Occasionally
   • c. Rarely
   • d. Never
9. It is important to me to spend periods of time in private religious thought and meditation.
   • a. Frequently true
   • b. Occasionally true
   • c. Rarely true
   • d. Never true