Adjective Ratings of God Scale (ARGS)
Measures specific concepts and perceptions regarding the type of God in whom belief is placed.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Adjective Ratings of God Scale (ARGS) was developed by Richard L. Gorsuch (1968). It is designed to measure Perceptions of God. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 91 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Traditional Christian, Deisticness, Wrathfulness, Omni-ness, Irrelevancy.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Christian | 3,4,5,8,15,16,17,20,25,27,28,29,30,31,33,39,41,42,43,44,45,47,49,52,53,54,56,59,60,61,62,64,65,66,67,68,71,72,75,76,79,81,82,85,86,88 | 46 |
| Deisticness | 24,26,32,35,57 | 5 |
| Wrathfulness | 2,6,10,12,13,14,18,19,37,40,48,51,55,69,70,78,84,90 | 18 |
| Omni-ness | 1,9,34,36,38,46,50,63,80,83 | 10 |
| Irrelevancy | 7,11,21,22,23,58,73,74,77,87,89,91 | 12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = The word does not describe 'God', 2 = The word describes 'God', 3 = The word describes 'God' particularly well.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Traditional Christian: .94, Deisticness: .71, Wrathfulness: .83, Omni-ness: .89, Irrelevancy: .49.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.