Love and Guilt-Oriented Dimensions Scale – LGODS
Measures types of Christian religious belief based on theological content, distinguishing between guilt-oriented, love-oriented (self-centered and other-centered), and conventional dimensions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Love and Guilt-Oriented Dimensions Scale – LGODS was developed by John B. McConahay & Joseph C. Hough, Jr. (1973). It is designed to measure Christian religious belief dimensions. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Guilt-Oriented Scale, Love-Oriented Self-Centered Scale, Love-Oriented Other-Centered Scale, Conventional Religiosity Scale.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Guilt-Oriented Scale | 1,2,3,4,5 | 5 |
| Love-Oriented Self-Centered Scale | 6,7,8,9,10 | 5 |
| Love-Oriented Other-Centered Scale | 11,12,13,14,15 | 5 |
| Conventional Religiosity Scale | 16,17,18,19,20 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Definitely disagree, 2 = Tend to disagree, 3 = Neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Tend to agree, 5 = Definitely agree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 5 to 25. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low agreement with this dimension: 5 – 11
- Moderate agreement with this dimension: 12 – 18
- High agreement with this dimension: 19 – 25
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Guilt-oriented: .807, Love-oriented self-centered: .561, Love-oriented other-centered: .533, Conventional: .660.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.