Loving and Controlling God Scales
Measures two primary dimensions of an individual's image of God: a loving God image and a controlling God image.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Loving and Controlling God Scales was developed by Peter L. Benson & Bernard Spilka (1973). It is designed to measure God Image. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 10 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Loving God, Controlling God.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Loving God | 1,2,4,6,8 | 5 |
| Controlling God | 3,5,7,9,10 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = 0 (Strongly associate with the left adjective), 1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6 (Strongly associate with the right adjective).
The scale includes 5 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 30. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low score on subscale: 0 – 15
- High score on subscale: 16 – 30
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Loving God scale: .72, Controlling God scale: .60.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.