Religious Orientation Scale (ROS)

Abstract

The Religious Orientation Scale (ROS), developed by Gordon Allport and Ross in 1967, is a foundational psychological instrument designed to assess an individual’s motivational approach to religion. It posits that religious belief can be adopted either as an end in itself (Intrinsic Orientation) or as a means to achieve non-religious goals, such as comfort, social status, or security (Extrinsic Orientation).

The scale is highly influential in the fields of psychology of religion and social psychology, particularly for its application in examining the relationship between religious motivation and social attitudes, such as prejudice. The ROS moves beyond simple measures of religious behavior frequency to analyze the internal quality and function of an individual’s faith commitment.

Keywords

Religious Orientation Scale, ROS, Gordon Allport, Intrinsic Orientation, Extrinsic Orientation, Psychology of Religion, Religious Motivation, Prejudice, Social Attitudes, Allport-Ross scale.

Authors

Gordon W. Allport, J. Michael Ross.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS) is to differentiate between two distinct modes of religious commitment: intrinsic and extrinsic. This distinction allows researchers to explore the qualitative nature of an individual’s religious life rather than relying solely on metrics of participation or belief frequency.

The scale seeks to operationalize Allport’s theoretical framework regarding the “mature” versus “immature” religious sentiment. Specifically, it tests the hypothesis that intrinsic religious motivation, where faith is deeply integrated and lived out, is psychologically distinct from extrinsic religious motivation, where faith serves utilitarian or self-serving ends.

Construct

The psychological construct measured by the ROS is Religious Orientation, which refers to the fundamental motivational posture an individual adopts toward their faith. This construct is typically analyzed across two dimensions:

• Intrinsic Orientation (I): This dimension measures the extent to which religion is internalized and serves as the master motive in one’s life. Individuals scoring high on this dimension strive to live out their faith fully and find ultimate meaning within their religious framework. For these individuals, religion is an end in itself.
• Extrinsic Orientation (E): This dimension measures the extent to which religion is used instrumentally. Individuals scoring high on this dimension utilize religion for secondary, non-religious benefits, such as gaining comfort, achieving social status, providing security, or establishing social relationships. For these individuals, religion is a means to an end.

Validity

Initial validity for the ROS was established through criterion-related validity, particularly the correlation between the Extrinsic subscale and measures of prejudice, as demonstrated in the original 1967 study. The finding that extrinsically motivated individuals often displayed higher levels of prejudice while intrinsically motivated individuals displayed lower levels (or a complex curvilinear relationship) served as strong support for the scale’s ability to measure meaningful psychological differences.

Construct validity is further supported by numerous studies showing that the Intrinsic and Extrinsic subscales predict differential outcomes across various psychological domains, including mental health, personality traits, and altruistic behavior. However, subsequent research has pointed out issues regarding the orthogonality of the two factors, leading to the development of revised and refined instruments that build upon the original ROS framework.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the ROS has generally been found to be acceptable across diverse samples. The original 1967 study reported adequate reliability statistics for both the Intrinsic and Extrinsic subscales. Typical measures of internal consistency, such as Cronbach’s alpha, usually fall within the range of 0.70 to 0.85 for both subscales in standardized research settings.

Test-retest reliability has demonstrated that the ROS provides stable measures of religious orientation over short to moderate time periods, suggesting that the underlying motivational structure it assesses is relatively consistent once established in adulthood.

Factor Analysis

The Religious Orientation Scale was theoretically developed as a measure of two independent factors: Intrinsic and Extrinsic. Early factor analytic studies generally supported the existence of these two distinct, though sometimes weakly correlated, dimensions. The items designed to measure Intrinsic motivation typically loaded onto one factor, and the items designed to measure Extrinsic motivation loaded onto a second factor.

However, methodological critiques have often highlighted that the Intrinsic and Extrinsic subscales frequently exhibit a small positive correlation, contradicting Allport’s initial assumption that they should be independent or orthogonal. This complexity has led to extensive debate and refinement, prompting the creation of modified scales intended to achieve clearer factor separation or address potential response biases inherent in the original item wording.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric scale designed for academic research.

Format: 20 items (plus one additional item sometimes included) utilizing a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English, but widely translated and adapted for use in cross-cultural social psychology and psychology of religion research.

Population Group: General population, primarily utilized with high school students, college students, and adults.

Age Group: Typically 16 years and older.

Population Details: Originally validated in samples of Christian college students, it has since been applied to various religious traditions, though interpretation requires care regarding the cultural specificity of certain items (e.g., church attendance).

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each statement using the following response key: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly Agree. Scores are calculated separately for the Intrinsic and Extrinsic subscales.

Keywords

Religious motivation, Allport-Ross scale, I-E scale, Utilitarian religion, Mature religion, Psychological assessment, Personality psychology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Scale developed prior to ORCID system adoption)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Religious Orientation Scale was first published in 1967. As a seminal instrument in the field of psychology, it is widely used in non-commercial academic research settings without standard licensing fees, provided proper citation is given to the original authors.

The original PDF of the instrument can be downloaded here: http://phd.mshaffer.com/projects/religiosity/ReligiousOrientationScale.pdf

Reference’s

• Allport, G. W., & Ross, J. M. (1967). Personal Religious Orientation and Prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 447-457.
• Feagin, J. R. (1964). Prejudice and religious types: A further analysis of Allport and Ross. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 3(3), 350-358.

Items of the Religious Orientation Scale(ROS)

Scoring Key: 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree, 5= Strongly Agree

Note: Items marked with an asterisk (*) indicate an Extrinsic religious orientation item.

• * 1. Although I believe in my religion, I feel there are many more important things in my life.
• * 2. It doesn’t matter so much what I believe so long as I lead a moral life.
• 3. It is important for me to spend periods of time in private religious thought and mediation.
• * 4. The primary purpose of prayer is to gain relief and protection.
• 5. If not prevented by unavoidable circumstances, I attend church.
• 6. I try hard to carry my religion over into all my other dealings in life.
• * 7. The church is most important as a place to formulate good social relationships.
• * 8. What religion offers me most is comfort when sorrows and misfortune strike.
• * 9. I pray chiefly because I have been taught to pray.
• 10. The prayers I say when I am alone carry as much meaning and personal emotion as those said by me during services.
• 11. Quite often I have been keenly aware of the presence of God or the Divine Being.
• 12. I read literature about my faith (or church).
• * 13. Although I am a religious person I refuse to let religious considerations influence my everyday affairs.
• 14. If I were to join a church group I would prefer to join a Bible study group rather than a social fellowship.
• * 15. A primary reason for my interest in religion is that my church is a congenial social activity.
• 16. My religious beliefs are really what lie behind my whole approach to life.
• * 17. Occasionally I find it necessary to compromise my religious beliefs in order to protect my social and economic well-being.
• 18. Religion is especially important because it answers many questions about the meaning of life.
• * 19. One reason for my being a church member is that such membership helps to establish a person in the community.
• * 20. The purpose of prayer is to secure a happy and peaceful life.

Additional Extrinsic Item (by Feagin 1964): Religion helps to keep my life balanced and steady in exactly the same way as my citizenship, friendships, and other memberships do.