RESEARCH: Protestants' Images of Self, God, and Satan as Seen in Adjective Check List Descriptions

Abstract

This study investigated the relation of individuals' descriptions of self, God, and Satan. At a large urban university, 102 students who identified their religious affiliation as Protestant used 100-item versions of the Adjective Check List (ACL) to describe self, God, and Satan. A total of 11 ACL scores were computed for each description. Participants described God as gender neutral, favorable, and strong, but not active, and high on the nurturing parent ego state. In contrast, Satan was described as masculine, unfavorable, strong, and active, and high on the critical parent ego state. God's 5 Factor profile was relatively undifferentiated, with the scores above the midpoint on all 5 factors, while Satan was low on the 5 Factor dimensions of emotional stability. Self, God, and Satan-descriptions differed significantly on all 11 ACL scores. All self-description scores, with the exception of SSI, fell between Satan and God-description scores. Favorable self-descriptions were associated with descriptions of God as more favorable. Religious attendance was associated with more favorable self-descriptions but was not associated with descriptions of God or Satan.