Description

The What I Believe Scale (WIBS) was developed to measure individuals’ personal religious and spiritual beliefs. The scale includes questions or statements related to:
Beliefs about God or the Supreme Being: Items that examine beliefs about the existence or nature of God or other supernatural entities.
Religious Practice: Attitudes and behaviors related to religious or spiritual practice, such as prayer or participation in religious ceremonies.
Moral Values and Ethics: Beliefs concerning moral values, norms, and rules that guide behavior.
Perceptions of Life and Death: Attitudes toward life, death, and afterlife beliefs.
Participants rate their agreement or disagreement with the statements on a scale (e.g., from 1 “strongly disagree” to 5 “strongly agree”).

Purpose

The purpose of WIBS is to:
Understand Personal Beliefs: Identify the core beliefs and values that guide individuals’ lives.
Assess the Relationship between Beliefs and Behavior: Examine how personal beliefs relate to religious or spiritual practice and behavior.
Explore Different Religious and Spiritual Systems: Compare beliefs across different religious or cultural groups.

Analysis

Analysis of WIBS includes:
Belief Category Analysis: Classifying responses into categories of beliefs such as theology, morality, and practices.
Data Synthesis: Examining general trends in beliefs and making comparisons between different population groups.
Reliability and Validity: Assessing the reliability of the scale through statistical methods such as internal consistency analysis (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) and factor analysis.

Scoring

Scoring of WIBS includes:
Data Collection: Using the questionnaire to collect responses from participants.
Statistical Analysis: Applying statistical methods to analyze the data, including factor analysis and measurement of internal consistency.

References

Elkins, D. N., Hedstrom, L. J., Hughes, L. L., Leaf, J. A., & Saunders, C. (1988). Toward a Humanistic-Existential Spirituality: Definition, Description, and Measurement. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 28(4), 5-18.
Pargament, K. I. (1997). Psychology and Religion: An Introduction. Guilford Press.
Koenig, H. G., McCullough, M. E., & Larson, D. B. (2001). Handbook of Religion and Health. Oxford University Press.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297-334.