Religious Position Scale

Abstract

The Religious Position Scale (RPS) is an instrument developed by F. L. Jennings (1972), based on the extensive empirical work of Morton B. King and Richard A. Hunt (beginning in 1965), who aimed to verify and measure the multidimensional nature of religiosity. The RPS is composed of 12 items distributed across two primary subscales: Cognitive Salience and Extrinsic Religious Orientation. The scale utilizes a 5-point Likert format and is designed to be applicable across various Christian and non-Christian groups, as it does not assess any specific religious faith. All items are unidirectional, meaning agreement correlates with a higher scale score. The differentiation between the two subscales closely mirrors Allport and Ross’s (1967) seminal distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation.

Keywords

Religious Position Scale, Cognitive Salience, Extrinsic Religious Orientation, Religiosity, King and Hunt Scales, Intrinsic-Extrinsic Orientation, Psychological Measurement, Religious Behavior, Social Psychology of Religion

Authors

Morton B. King, Richard A. Hunt, F. L. Jennings

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Religious Position Scale is to measure two distinct psychological dimensions of an individual’s relationship with their religion. It provides a brief yet comprehensive assessment of how deeply integrated religious belief is into one’s personal life versus how pragmatically religion is used for external benefits or social purposes. The instrument is brief, straightforward to administer, and designed to be easily combined with other measures for a more holistic assessment of religious variables.

Specifically, the instrument aims to quantify the degree of Cognitive Salience—the deeper, personal significance of religion—and the degree of Extrinsic Religious Orientation, which views religion as a means to achieve non-religious ends (e.g., comfort, social standing, or security).

Construct

The Religious Position Scale measures religiosity through two empirically derived and theoretically distinct constructs:

• Cognitive Salience: This subscale, consisting of five items, evaluates the extent to which religious beliefs form the core foundation of an individual’s identity, decision-making, and overall approach to life. High scores indicate that religion holds a deep, central, and personally significant role.

• Extrinsic Religious Orientation: This subscale, consisting of seven items, assesses the degree to which religious involvement is utilized for utilitarian or superficial purposes. This includes seeking comfort, social acceptance, status, or fulfilling a perceived civic duty. This construct aligns with the extrinsic orientation concept popularized by Allport and Ross (1967), where religion serves as a means to an end rather than an end in itself.

Validity

Jennings’ (1972) investigation into the construct validity of the RPS revealed several key findings. There were no significant differences observed in scale scores with respect to the demographic variables of age or gender, suggesting the scale functions similarly across these groups in the tested population.

Regarding external correlations, the Cognitive Salience subscale demonstrated moderate relationships with established measures of religious belief: a correlation of r = 0.63 was found with the Scriptural Literalism Scale (Hogge & Friedman, 1967), and r = 0.65 with the Religious World View Scale (McLean, 1952). In contrast, the Extrinsic Religious Orientation subscale showed weaker relationships with these same external measures (r = 0.35 and r = 0.31, respectively), which supports the distinct nature of the extrinsic construct.

Reliability

The reliability of the RPS was assessed by Jennings (1972) using mean inter-item correlation coefficients and Spearman-Brown modifications of split-half coefficients. The internal consistency varied significantly between the two subscales.

• Cognitive Salience: This subscale exhibited stronger reliability coefficients (inter-item r = 0.56; Spearman-Brown r = 0.74), suggesting acceptable internal consistency.

• Extrinsic Religious Orientation: This subscale showed relatively low coefficients (inter-item r = 0.15; Spearman-Brown r = 0.51). Based on these low values, the internal consistency of the Extrinsic Religious Orientation subscale is considered suspect, indicating potential concerns about whether all seven items reliably measure a single, cohesive construct.

Factor Analysis

The development of the scales underlying the RPS was rooted in an extensive empirical approach by King and Hunt, beginning with exploratory surveys and a pool of 130 items. They utilized intercorrelational, cluster, and factor analysis to map the multidimensional nature of the religious variable. Initial work with 575 Methodist church members led King (1967) to propose nine dimensions, including one characterized as an extrinsic/dogmatism factor.

Following amendments based on item-scale analysis (King & Hunt, 1969) and inspiration from the theoretical work of Allport, Glock, and Lenski, King and Hunt expanded their item pool. Subsequent factor analysis performed on data collected from four Protestant denominations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area (King & Hunt, 1972a; 1972b) resulted in ten defined scales. Two of these factors—Salience/Cognition and Extrinsic Orientation (Hunt & King, 1971)—were selected and combined by Jennings (1972) to form the Religious Position Scale. This factor structure was later replicated in a nationwide sample of main-line Presbyterians (King & Hunt, 1975).

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Scale (Measure of Religious Orientation)

Format: 12 items using a 5-point Likert format (1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree). Unidirectional scoring.

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: General religious and non-religious adult populations. Items are phrased appropriately for a wide variety of Christian and non-Christian religious groups.

Age Group: Adults (Normative data focuses on young adults, 20–24 years).

Population Details: Normative data (Jennings, 1972) was derived from a survey of 364 students (61% male, 39% female) at a metropolitan junior college in Dallas, Texas. The modal age range was 20-24 years (48% single, 45% married). Normative means were reported:

• Cognitive Salience (5 items): Overall Mean = 16.03 (SD = 4.01). Males Mean = 15.74 (SD = 4.02); Females Mean = 16.48 (SD = 3.98).

• Extrinsic Religious Orientation (7 items): Overall Mean = 18.29 (SD = 5.22).

Test Methodology: Self-administered questionnaire. Scoring is clear and straightforward, with higher agreement scores correlating with higher scale totals for both subscales.

Keywords

Religious Attitude, Psychological Measurement, King and Hunt, Religiosity Dimensions, Salience, Extrinsic Orientation, Construct Validity, Factor analysis

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: The scale was consolidated and named by Jennings in 1972, based on factors derived by King and Hunt’s work spanning 1965–1971.

Permissions & Fee: Information regarding current permissions or fees is not explicitly detailed in the source material. Researchers should consult the authors’ publications or institutional affiliations for usage rights.

Reference’s

Allport, G., & Ross, J. (1967). Personal religious orientation and prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 432-443.

Hogge, J., & Friedman, S. T. (1967). The Scriptural Literalism Scale: A preliminary report. Journal of Psychology, 66, 275-279.

Hunt, R. A., & King, M. B. (1971). The intrinsic-extrinsic concept: A review and evaluation. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 10, 339-356.

Jennings, F. L. ( 1972). A note on the reliability of several belief scales. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 11, 157-164.

King, M. (1967). Measuring the religious variable: Nine proposed dimensions. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 6, 173-190.

King, M. B., & Hunt, R. A. (1969). Measuring the religious variable: Amended findings. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 8, 321-323.

King, M. & Hunt, R. A. ( 1970). Religion, prejudice and cognitive style. Unpublished paper.

King, M. B., & Hunt, R. A. (1972a). Measuring the religious variable: Replication. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 11, 240-251.

King, M. B., & Hunt, R. A. (1972b). Measuring religious dimensions: Studies of congregational involvement. Studies in Social Science, no. 1. Dallas: Southern Methodist University.

King, M. B., & Hunt, R. A. (1975). Measuring the religious variable: National replication. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 14, 13-22.

King, M. B., & Hunt, R. A. (1990). Measuring the religious variable: Final comment. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 29, 531-535.

McLean, M. (1952). Religious world views. Motive, 12, 22-26.

Items of the RELIGIOUS POSITION SCALE

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

Religious Position Scale

Please answer the following statements by circling the number that most accurately describes your beliefs based on the choices provided below.

• 1 = strongly agree
• 4 = moderately disagree
• 2 = moderately agree
• 5 = strongly disagree
• 3 = neutral

Cognitive Salience

Extrinsic Religious Orientation Scale