Loving and Controlling God Scales

Abstract

The Loving and Controlling God Scales (LCGS) are a psychological instrument designed to quantify two distinct dimensions of an individual’s God image: the perception of God as loving and accepting, and the perception of God as restrictive and controlling. The scale comprises ten items in total, five pairs of bipolar adjectives dedicated to the Loving God index and five pairs dedicated to the Controlling God index. Responses are captured using a 7-point semantic differential scale, with scores ranging from 0 to 6 for each item. The total score for each of the two subscales ranges from 0 to 30.

Keywords

God image, Loving God, Controlling God, Religious Psychology, Self-Esteem, Locus of Control, Semantic Differential, Psychological Assessment, Religiosity, Adolescent Psychology.

Authors

P. Benson, B. Spilka

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Loving and Controlling God Scales is to measure the psychological representation of the divine, specifically focusing on the extent to which an individual perceives God as benevolent and supportive (Loving God index) versus demanding and restrictive (Controlling God index). This measurement allows researchers to explore the relationship between these specific God images and various psychological variables, such as self-esteem, personality traits, and mental health outcomes.

The scale provides a foundational, empirically testable measure for studying the complex dynamics of the subjective God concept, moving beyond simple measures of religious adherence or belief frequency.

Construct

The LCGS operationalizes the construct of God image, which refers to the individual’s emotional and cognitive representation of God, often rooted in early parental relationships and personal experiences. This construct is measured along two independent bipolar dimensions:

• Loving God Image: This dimension assesses the degree to which an individual perceives God as accepting, forgiving, saving, approving, and loving (e.g., rejecting-accepting, unforgiving-forgiving). A high score reflects a positive, benevolent view of the divine.
• Controlling God Image: This dimension assesses the degree to which an individual perceives God as restrictive, strict, demanding, and rigid (e.g., demanding-not demanding, freeing-restricting). A high score reflects a perception of God as an authoritative and limiting figure.

Validity

Initial validation studies conducted by Benson and Spilka (1973) provided evidence for construct validity. Specifically, the researchers found that the Loving God scale was positively related to self-esteem, aligning with theoretical predictions that a benevolent God image fosters positive self-regard. Conversely, they found that the Controlling God scale was unrelated to the measure of locus of control in their sample.

Subsequent research further supported the scale’s validity in clinical contexts. Brokaw and Edwards (1994) demonstrated that the Loving God scale correlated positively with the level of object relations development, while the Controlling God scale correlated negatively with it, as assessed by the Ego Function Assessment Questionnaire Revised (EFAQ-R). These findings suggest that perceptions of God are intertwined with fundamental developmental psychological structures.

Reliability

Scale homogeneity (internal consistency) was examined by Benson and Spilka (1973) using a separate sample of 50 Lutheran subjects. The reliability coefficients obtained were acceptable for preliminary research, though the Controlling God scale showed a lower coefficient than the Loving God scale.

• Loving God Scale: Coefficient Alpha = 0.72
• Controlling God Scale: Coefficient Alpha = 0.60

These findings indicate that the items within the Loving God scale demonstrated good internal consistency, while the items measuring the Controlling God dimension showed slightly lower, though still conventionally usable, internal reliability.

Factor Analysis

While the original publication did not detail a specific factor analysis methodology (such as Principal Component Analysis or Confirmatory Factor Analysis), the scale is conceptually designed to load onto two distinct, primary factors: the Loving factor and the Controlling factor. The use of two separate, non-overlapping sets of five bipolar adjectives strongly suggests an intended two-factor structure necessary for measuring the dual dimensions of the God image construct.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Scale / Self-Report Inventory

Format: Paper-and-pencil measure; self-administered.

Language Available: English (Original publication language).

Population Group: Primarily used in studies involving religious adolescents and young adults, especially those of Catholic or Protestant backgrounds. Applicable to general religious populations.

Age Group: Adolescents and adults (Initial sample mean age was 15.4 years).

Population Details: The original standardization sample consisted of 128 male Catholic high school subjects. This was a highly homogeneous religious sample, selected based on criteria such as continuous membership in a local Catholic parish for at least ten years. The educational breakdown included 44 freshmen, 31 sophomores, 19 juniors, and 34 seniors.

Test Methodology: The scales employ a semantic differential format. Respondents rate their perception of God on a 7-point scale (0 to 6) across 10 bipolar adjective pairs. Administration, scoring, and interpretation are straightforward, requiring no specialized examiner skill.

Keywords

Psychological assessment, God image, Religiosity, Adolescent psychology, God perception, Self-report, Scale development, Reliability, Validity, P. Benson, B. Spilka.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions and Fee: Information regarding current commercial permissions or licensing fees is not specified in the original source, but the scale is widely cited in academic literature.

Test Year: 1973

Reference’s

• Benson, P., & Spilka, B. (1973). God image as a function of self-esteem and locus control. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 12, 297-310.
• Bowman, E. S., Coons, P. M., Jones, R. S., & Oldstrom, M. (1987). Religious psychodynamics in multiple personalities: Suggestions for treatment. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 41, 542-554.
• Brokaw, B. F., & Edwards, K. J. (1994). The relationship of God image to level of object relations development. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 22, 352-371.
• Gabbard, C. E., Howard, G. S., & Tageson, C. W. (1986). Assessing locus of control with religious populations. Journal of Research in Personality, 20, 292-308.
• Hall, T. W., Tisdale, T. C., & Brokaw, B. F. (1994). Assessment of religious dimensions in Christian clients: A review of selected instruments for research and clinical use. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 22, 395-421.
• Hertel, B. R., & Donahue, M. J. (1995). Parental influences on God images among children: Testing Durkheim metaphoric parallelism. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 34, 186-199.
• Jolley, J.C., & Taulbee, S. J. (1986). Assessing perceptions of self and God: Comparison of prisoners and normals. Psychological Reports, 59, 1139-1146.
• Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Shaver, P. R. (1992). An attachment-theoretical approach to romantic love and religious belief. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18, 266-275.
• Park, C. L., & Cohen, L. H. (1993). Religious and nonreligious coping with the death of a friend. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 17, 561-577.

Items of the LOVING AND CONTROLLING GOD SCALES

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

(L) = Loving God item

(C) = Controlling God item

* = reverse-scored