Religious Orientation Scale- Revised (ROS-R)

Abstract

The Religious Orientation Scale- Revised (ROS-R) is a widely utilized psychometric instrument developed by Richard L. Gorsuch and S. E. McPherson in 1989. It serves as a refinement of earlier measures, notably the Age Universal I-E Scale (Gorsuch & Venable, 1983), designed to assess the motivational dimensions underlying an individual’s religious commitment. The scale operationalizes two key constructs: Intrinsic Religiosity, where religion is an end in itself and informs one’s entire approach to life; and Extrinsic Religiosity, where religion serves as a means to achieve non-religious goals, such as social acceptance or comfort. The ROS-R, consisting of 14 items, is a foundational tool in the psychology of religion for distinguishing between these two fundamental modes of religious engagement.

Keywords

Religious Orientation Scale- Revised, ROS-R, Intrinsic Religiosity, Extrinsic Religiosity, Gorsuch, psychological measurement, religious commitment, I-E Scale.

Authors

Richard L. Gorsuch, S. E. McPherson.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ROS-R is to provide a reliable and valid measure of the two distinct types of religious motivation initially theorized by Gordon Allport: intrinsic and extrinsic orientation. Researchers utilize this instrument to understand how the motivation for religious involvement influences various psychological, social, and behavioral outcomes, such as prejudice, altruism, and mental health.

Specifically, the revision aimed to improve the psychometric properties and factor clarity compared to its predecessors, offering a more streamlined 14-item format suitable for diverse populations. It allows researchers to differentiate between individuals who genuinely internalize their faith (Intrinsic) versus those who utilize faith for instrumental benefits (Extrinsic).

Construct

The ROS-R measures the dualistic concept of religious orientation based on the motivational direction of the individual. Intrinsic Religiosity refers to the degree to which religion is fully internalized and functions as the master motive in one’s life. For intrinsically oriented individuals, their faith is lived out fully and informs their entire existence, making religion an end in itself rather than a means to external rewards.

In contrast, Extrinsic Religiosity represents a utilitarian approach, where religion is primarily a means to an end. This orientation involves using religion to gain social status, comfort, security, or relief from fear and anxiety. The revised scale clearly separates these two dimensions, with seven items dedicated to each construct, ensuring a clean operationalization of the two primary motivational styles.

Validity

Research on the ROS-R supports its construct validity, demonstrating that the intrinsic and extrinsic subscales measure distinct psychological constructs, often showing differential correlation patterns with personality traits and behavioral outcomes. For instance, intrinsic orientation is typically associated with greater cognitive complexity and deeper religious commitment, while extrinsic orientation may correlate with social conformity and higher levels of prejudice.

The refinement process addressed concerns regarding the orthogonality of the factors, ensuring that the two dimensions are relatively independent, which allows for more nuanced analysis than earlier, unidimensional scales. Trimble’s (1997) meta-analysis specifically reviewed the scale concerning social desirability effects, highlighting that while the scale is susceptible to these biases, the intrinsic subscale generally shows a lower correlation with measures of social desirability compared to the extrinsic subscale, lending support to its validity in measuring genuine commitment.

Reliability

The ROS-R generally exhibits acceptable to high levels of internal consistency reliability. Studies typically report Cronbach’s alpha values for both the Intrinsic and Extrinsic subscales that meet or exceed standard psychometric thresholds, often ranging between .70 and .85 across diverse samples.

The robust reliability of the revised scale, compared to earlier versions, is one reason for its continued widespread use in the field of the psychology of religion. Test-retest reliability has also been generally established across various time intervals, confirming the stability of an individual’s measured religious orientation over time, making it suitable for longitudinal studies.

Factor Analysis

The ROS-R is fundamentally a two-factor model instrument. Factor analysis performed during the revision process (Gorsuch & McPherson, 1989) confirmed the distinct nature of the Intrinsic and Extrinsic dimensions. The 14 items load cleanly onto these two orthogonal factors, meaning that high scores on one dimension do not necessarily preclude high scores on the other, although they are often found to be weakly correlated in specific populations.

This clarity in factor structure was a crucial improvement over the original Allport and Ross (1967) scale, which sometimes yielded mixed factor loadings. The revised scale utilizes specific item wordings and scoring (including three reversed items) to maintain the integrity and independence of the two primary motivational constructs, thereby strengthening the instrument’s foundation for construct validity.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale.

Format: 14 items utilizing a 5-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: Primarily English, but translated and adapted for use in numerous languages worldwide.

Population Group: General population, widely used in studies concerning religion, personality, social psychology, and counseling.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (The Age Universal I-E Scale antecedent was designed for broad age application).

Population Details: Applicable to individuals identifying with various religious traditions, focusing on motivational style rather than specific doctrinal belief.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each statement, typically ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree.” Scores are calculated by summing responses for the Intrinsic and Extrinsic subscales separately, accounting for reversed-scored items.

Keywords

Psychometrics, religious motivation, personality psychology, Allport, social desirability, church attendance, factor structure, Age Universal I-E Scale.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The ROS-R was published in 1989. As a widely cited academic instrument published in peer-reviewed journals, the scale is generally available for non-commercial research purposes, provided appropriate citation is given to the original authors (Gorsuch & McPherson, 1989). Specific commercial licensing or fee structures would depend on the publisher of the compilation or textbook from which it is sourced.

The core instrument details can be found in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, available here. Additionally, the original PDF of a related Master’s thesis utilizing this scale can be downloaded here: http://tbr2.indstate.edu/bitstream/10484/5576/1/Ann%20E.%20Jones%20Aug%202014.pdf.

Reference’s

Gorsuch, R. L., & Venable, G. D. (1983). Development of an Age Universal I-E Scale. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 22, 181-187.

Gorsuch, R. L., & McPherson, S. E. (1989). Intrinsic/extrinsic measurement: I/E-Revised and single-item scales. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 28, 348-354.

Gorsuch, R. L. (1994). Toward Motivational Theories of Intrinsic Religious Commitment. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 33, 315-325.

Trimble, D. E. (1997). The Religious Orientation Scale: Review and meta-analysis of social desirability effects. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 57, 970-986.

Jones, Ann E. (2014). Moderating effect of religious orientation on the relationship between sexual self-discrepancies and guilt and anxiety. Indiana State University. Master of Arts thesis.

Items of the Religious Orientation Scale- Revised (ROS-R)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I enjoy reading about my religion. I
2. I go to church because it helps me to make friends. E+
3. It doesn’t much matter what I believe so long as I am good. I
4. It is important to me to spend time in private thought and prayer. I
5. I have often had a strong sense of God’s presence. I
6. I pray mainly to gain relief and protection. E
7. I try hard to live all my life according to my religious beliefs. I
8. What religion offers me most is comfort in times of trouble and sorrow. E
9. Prayer is peace and happiness. E
10. Although I am religious, I don’t let it affect my daily life. I+
11. I go to church mostly to spend time with my friends. E
12. My whole approach to life is based on my religion. I
13. I go to church mainly because I like seeing people I know there. E
14. Although I believe in my religion, many other things are more important. I+

The scoring key identifies “I” as intrinsic religiosity, “E” as extrinsic religiosity, and “+” indicates a reversed-scored item. The response format typically uses a five-point scale (I strongly disagree, I disagree, I’m not sure, I tend to agree, I strongly agree).