Description

The “Nonverbal Measure of God-Concept” (NMG) is a tool designed to assess individuals’ perception of God through nonverbal methods. Instead of relying on verbal or written responses, this tool uses images, symbols, or other nonverbal forms of expression to collect data regarding the perceptions, beliefs, and emotional reactions associated with the concept of God.

Purpose

The main goals of NMG are to:
Understand the perception of God in a way that is not influenced by the restrictive or pre-set answers offered by verbal questionnaires. By eliminating words, it allows participants to more authentically and personally express their perception of God.
Examine the emotional and psychological relationship with God. It focuses on the emotional and cognitive reactions triggered by nonverbal representations of God.
Analyze the differences in the perception of God among different individuals or groups. The tool can be used to study how different cultural, religious, or personal factors affect the perception of God.

Analysis

The analysis of NMG includes:
Content Analysis: Examination of the images, symbols, or other nonverbal elements used by participants to express their perception of God. This analysis includes categorizing and interpreting the choices made by participants.
Emotional Analysis: Examination of the emotional reactions triggered by nonverbal representations. This involves evaluating feelings such as safety, fear, love, or rejection associated with the image of God.
Statistical Analysis: Use of statistical methods to interpret the data, such as frequency analysis, factor structure analysis, or correlation analysis between different nonverbal perceptions and personal characteristics.

Scoring

The scoring of NMG includes the process of ensuring the validity and reliability of the tool:
Content Validity: Ensuring that the nonverbal representations sufficiently cover the concept of God as understood by the participants.
Internal Consistency: Assessing the consistency of nonverbal representations with the corresponding emotional and cognitive reactions, using indicators like Cronbach’s alpha.
Criterion Validity: Examining the relationship between nonverbal perceptions and other relevant criteria or measurements.
Test-Retest Reliability: Examining the stability of results when the tool is used at different time points or with different samples.

Bibliography

Saroglou, V. (2011). “Religiosity as a Cultural Adaptation: A Biopsychosocial Perspective.” The Oxford Handbook of the Psychology of Religion. New York: Oxford University Press.
Taves, A. (2009). Religious Experience Reconsidered: A Building-Block Approach to the Study of Religion and Other Special Things. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Pargament, K. I. (2007). Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy: Understanding and Addressing the Sacred. New York: Guilford Press.
Jung, C. G. (1959). Psychological Aspects of the Religious Experience. Princeton: Princeton University Press.