Structure of Prayer Scale

Abstract

The Structure of Prayer Scale (SPS) is a comprehensive psychological instrument designed to quantify and categorize distinct aspects of prayer behavior and habits. The measure consists of 28 items which collectively assess six conceptually distinct types of prayer, moving beyond simple frequency assessment to capture complexity in religious practice.

The scale development involved generating individual items intended to cover a variety of prayer types and habits, followed by rigorous factor analysis procedures. The resulting six primary dimensions assessed by the SPS are: Confession, Petition, Ritual, Meditation-Improvement, Habitual Prayer, and Compassionate Petition. The scale offers researchers a detailed, multi-dimensional framework for studying how individuals engage in spiritual or religious communication.

Keywords

Prayer, Meditation, Religious Behavior, Spirituality, Confession, Petition, Ritual Prayer, Psychological Assessment, Factor analysis, Psychometrics.

Authors

Luckow, A., Ladd, K. L., Spilka, B., McIntosh, D. N., Parks, C., LaForett, D.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Structure of Prayer Scale is to provide a robust, multi-faceted tool for assessing different modalities of prayer behavior. It was designed specifically to quantify conceptually distinct categories of prayer, such as acknowledging faults (Confession) versus asking for personal benefits (Petition).

The measure is suitable for assessing general prayer practices but can also be adapted by researchers to examine prayer behavior within specific contexts, such as an individual’s response to a stressful event or a clinical situation. The instrument is intended to be completed quickly, requiring only 5 to 10 minutes for administration.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of Structured Prayer Behavior, which is operationalized through six empirically derived dimensions. These dimensions represent distinct psychological and behavioral approaches to spiritual or religious communication.

The six sub-constructs are: Confession (acknowledging sins and faults); Petition (asking for personal benefits or favors); Ritual (adherence to structured, orderly sequences); Meditation-Improvement (using prayer for self-betterment or finding security); Habitual (daily or routine prayer practices); and Compassionate Petition (praying for the benefit of others or expressing thanks).

Validity

In general, the Structure of Prayer Scale possesses face validity, as the items appear directly relevant to the construct of prayer behavior. Although intercorrelations of the specific scales derived from this factor structure are not presented in the original manuscript, previous studies utilizing similar items and factor structures suggested that individuals who pray often employ a variety of prayer strategies.

A notable consideration for construct validity pertains to the Meditation-Improvement scale. Several items within this factor (e.g., “when I pray I feel secure”) appear to reflect the affective outcome of prayer as much as the habits or behaviors themselves. Researchers investigating the relationship between prayer and constructs like positive/negative affect or subjective well-being should be aware of this potential overlap. Establishing comprehensive validity will require future research focusing on the correlations between the SPS and other established measures of religious thought and behavior.

Reliability

Internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients across six independent samples (S1–S6) and one combined sample (S1/S2/S3). In most cases, the scales demonstrated adequate reliability.

The Compassionate Petition scale consistently showed the highest reliability, with the combined sample yielding an alpha of .93. However, certain coefficients were notably low, particularly in samples of highly religious individuals, likely reflecting restricted variation within these groups. Specifically, the alpha for Petition was .44 in the Christian college sample (S2), and the coefficient for Meditation-Improvement was only .19 in the conservative evangelical seminary sample (S5). The overall reliability results are summarized below:

Factor Analysis

The underlying structure of the scale was determined using Principal Components Analysis. This analysis was performed initially on data from each of the six independent samples. To enhance response variability and optimize the ratio of respondents to items, data from three samples (S1, S2, and S3), which employed a common response coding system, were subsequently combined for a separate analysis.

The authors explored multiple solutions using both orthogonal and nonorthogonal rotations. The criteria for selecting the final six-factor solution included eigenvalues (requiring them to be equal to or greater than one) and the conceptual integrity of the resulting factors. An item selection criterion of a factor loading of .30 was adopted, ensuring that only items demonstrating the highest factor loadings across the diverse samples were retained for the final scale composition.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Self-Report Scale

Format: Pencil-and-paper measure, 28 items, utilizing a 6-point Likert response format (1 = strongly disagree to 6 = strongly agree)

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Adults (Samples included university students, seminary students, and clinical populations, specifically cancer patients).

Age Group: Late adolescence and adulthood

Population Details: Standardization data were collected from six samples (N=876). These included a general university in Colorado (N=145), a Christian college in Colorado (N=101), a general university in Indiana (N=466 across two samples), a conservative evangelical seminary (N=108), and a group of cancer patients (N=166). The majority of participants (80%) identified as Christian, representing a broad spectrum of religious perspectives.

Test Methodology: The scale requires 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Instructions are flexible and can be adapted by researchers to assess prayer practices in general or within specific contexts.

Keywords

Psychological measurement, Religious Psychology, Scale development, Principal Components Analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, Affective Outcomes, Spirituality, Religious coping.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: University of Denver, Denver, CO (as per unpublished manuscript location)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1997 (based on unpublished manuscript)

Permissions/Fees: Details regarding permissions and fees are not specified in the original source, as this was presented as an unpublished manuscript.

Reference’s

Luckow, A., Ladd, K. L., Spilka, B., McIntosh, D. N., Parks, C., & LaForett, D. (1997). The structure of prayer. Unpublished manuscript, University of Denver, Denver, CO.

Beck, J. R., Spilka, B., & Mason, R. (1992, August). Prayer in religious and social perspective: A study of a seminary sample. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D. C.

Luckow, A., Ladd, K. L., Spilka, B., McIntosh, D. N., Paloma, M., Parks, C., & LaForett, D. (1996, August). The structure of prayer: Explorations and confirmations. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada.

Items of the STRUCTURE OF PRAYER SCALE

Prayer or meditation is approached in a wide variety of fashions. For the purposes of this study, please think of “pray” and “meditate” as the same sort of practice. We would like you to indicate for each of the following statements the position that most accurately reflects your personal practices. Please use this code for your answers:

• l = strongly disagree
• 2 = moderately disagree
• 3 = slightly disagree
• 4 = slightly agree
• 5 = moderately agree
• 6 = strongly agree

1. When I pray alone, I have a ritual that I adhere to strictly.
2. Through deep prayer I am able to know God better.
3. It is important to me to tell God about my sins or faults.
4. When I pray, I want to share my life with God.
5. I usually pray for God to make me a better person.
6. I pray to give thanks for all God has done for me.
7. When I feel guilty about something, it helps to tell God about it.
8. When God has answered my prayers, I usually give thanks.
9. My prayers are like rituals; they have a regular, orderly sequence.
10. I usually say a prayer before each meal.
11. I like to say prayers for people about whom I care very much.
12. I always pray before I go to sleep.
13. I must admit that I usually pray to get something.
14. Confession is important to me because it helps me lead a more respectable life.
15. When I pray, I ask God for special favors.
16. Prayer helps me keep my life balanced and happy.
17. When I pray, I confess to God the things I should not have done.
18. Usually when I feel unable to help my loved ones, I ask God for help.
19. I ask God to help others when I am unable to.
20. When I pray, I have certain words of phrases that I repeat a number of times.
21. In my prayers I like to express my recognition for what God grants me.
22. Most of my prayers are for God to solve problems.
23. When I finish praying, I feel like a better person.
24. I pray for other people.
25. A morning prayer helps me cope with the world during the day.
26. Prayer is a way for me to connect with my inner spirit.
27. When I pray, I feel secure.
28. I pray daily.