Assessment Scoring and
Interpretation Packet
Attachment to God Inventory (AGI) Scoring Sheet: Transfer each item rating to the
appropriate box. Reverse score those with an R (1=7, 2=6, 3=5, 4=4, 5=3, 6=2, & 7=1). Add up
the sum for each column. Then compute the column average by dividing by 14.
Question/Item
1. I worry a lot about my relationship with God.
2. I just don’t feel a deep need to be close to God.
3. If I can’t see God working in my life, I get upset or angry.
4. I am totally dependent upon God for everything in my life.
5. I am jealous at how God seems to care more for others than for me.
6. It is uncommon for me to cry when sharing with God.
7. Sometimes I feel that God loves others more than me.
8. My experiences with God are very intimate and emotional.
9. I am jealous at how close some people are to God.
10. I prefer not to depend too much on God.
11. I often worry about whether God is pleased with me.
12. I am uncomfortable being emotional in my communication with God.
13. Even if I fail, I never question that God is pleased with me.
14. My prayers to God are often matter-of-fact and not very personal.
15. Almost daily I feel that my relationship with God goes back and forth from
―hot‖ to ―cold.‖
16. I am uncomfortable with emotional displays of affection to God.
17. I fear God does not accept me when I do wrong.
18. Without God I couldn’t function at all.
19. I often feel angry with God for not responding to me when I want.
20. I believe people should not depend on God for things they should do for
themselves.
21. I crave reassurance from God that God loves me.
22. Daily I discuss all of my problems and concerns with God.
23. I am jealous when others feel God’s presence when I cannot.
24. I am uncomfortable allowing God to control every aspect of my life.
25. I worry a lot about damaging my relationship with God.
26. My prayers to God are very emotional.
27. I get upset when I feel God helps out others, but forgets about me.
28. I let God make most of the decisions in my life.
SUM FOR EACH COLUMN
AVERAGE FOR EACH COLUMN (Divide Column Sum by 14)
Anxiety
Over
Abandonment
(Odd Items)
Avoidance
of Intimacy
with God
(Even
Items)
R
R
R
R
R
R
R
/ 14
/ 14
Attachment to God Inventory (AGI; Beck & McDonald, 2004) Interpretation Sheet
Purpose: This inventory is meant to measure a person’s global attachment tendencies in
relationship with God (i.e., their attachment style with God).
The Client’s Scores: Attachment Anxiety: _________ Attachment Avoidance: _________
Low = below 4 (4 is the average, so the further away from 4, the more pronounced)
High = above 4 (4 is the average, so the further away from 4, the more pronounced)
High Avoidance of Intimacy with God = Avoidant Attachment to God: Beck and McDonald
(2004), the creators of the AGI, offered the following descriptions of the themes that characterize
the attachment tendencies of persons with a highly avoidant attachment to God: ―Avoidance of
Intimacy with God involves themes such as a need for self-reliance, a difficulty with depending
upon God, and unwillingness to be emotionally intimate with God‖ (p. 94).
High Anxiety over Abandonment = Anxious Attachment to God: In comparison, they offered
the following descriptions of the themes that characterize the attachment tendencies of persons
with a highly anxious attachment to God: ―Anxiety over Abandonment involves themes such as
the fear of potential abandonment by God, angry protest (resentment or frustration at God’s lack
of perceived affection), jealousy over God’s seemingly differential intimacy with others, anxiety
over one’s lovability in God’s eyes, and, finally, preoccupation with or worry concerning one’s
relationship with God‖ (Beck & McDonald, 2004, p. 94).
Low Avoidance, Low Anxiety = Secure Attachment to God: Persons with both low
attachment avoidance and low attachment anxiety in their relationship with God tend to feel
comfortable relying on God, trusting God, and seeking intimacy with God. They also tend to
exhibit an overall adequate capacity for emotional tolerance, such being able to effectively cope
with and tolerate the times when God feels distant or unaffectionate. Persons with a secure
attachment to God do not tend to get jealous of the relationship that God has with other people.
They tend to feel lovable in God’s eyes and do not tend to exhibit excessive preoccupation with
or worry concerning their relationship with God.
God Adjective Checklist (GAC) Scoring Sheet: For each trait-adjective, transfer the Column A
and Column B ratings. Calculate the ―head/heart discrepancy‖ by subtracting the Column B rating
from the Column A rating. For each scale, sum all the discrepancies, divide that sum by the number
of items in the scale, and record the average head/heart discrepancy.
Adjective
Severe
Unfair
Unkind
Close
Loving
Warm
Intimate
Forgetful
Inconsistent
Silent
Unreliable
Understanding
Caring
Patient
Comforting
Weak
Absent
Ignorant
Compassionate
Fair
Kind
Cold
Distant
Unapproachable
Indifferent
Dependable
Faithful
Reliable
Trustworthy
Critical
Harsh
Unsympathetic
Unforgiving
All-knowing
All-powerful
All-present
Column A
(Head
Knowledge)
Column B
(Heart
Knowledge)
Head/Heart
Discrepancy
(A-B)
Sum
Head/Heart
Discrepancy
Negative –
General
÷ the
# of
Items
÷3
Positive –
Intimate
÷4
Negative –
Unreliable
÷4
Positive –
Supportive
÷4
Negative –
Theological
÷3
Positive –
General
÷3
Negative –
Distant
÷4
Positive –
Reliable
÷4
Negative –
Rejecting
÷4
Positive –
Theological
÷3
Average
Head/Heart
Discrepancy
God Adjective Checklist (GAC; Zahl & Gibson, 2008) Interpretation Sheet
Purpose: This checklist is meant to help compare the client’s theological beliefs about God to
their actual personal experience of God. That is, it is intended to be used to compare a person’s
―head knowledge‖ of God to their ―heart knowledge‖ of God, with reference to a variety of
potential attributes of God—positive and negative.
The Client’s Scores on the Scales of the GAC:
Positive Dimensions
God’s Emotional Closeness With Oneself (Positive – Intimate):
______
God’s Emotional Supportiveness (Positive – Supportive):
______
God’s General Positive Attributes (Positive – General):
______
God’s Reliability and Trustworthiness (Positive – Reliable):
______
God’s Positive Attributes from a Theological Standpoint (Positive – Theological):
______
Negative Dimensions
God’s General Negative Attributes (Negative – General):
______
God’s Unreliability and Inconsistency (Negative – Unreliable):
______
God’s Negative Attributes From a Theological Standpoint (Negative – Theological):
______
God’s Emotional Distance From Oneself (Negative – Distant):
______
God’s Criticalness Toward Oneself (Negative – Rejecting):
______
If the average discrepancy on a scale is greater than 0, then the general interpretation is:
- Head knowledge is stronger than heart knowledge on that scale.
If the average discrepancy on a scale is greater than 0, then the general interpretation is:
- Heart knowledge is stronger than head knowledge on that scale.
If there is no average discrepancy on a scale, then the general interpretation is:
- Head knowledge and heart knowledge are equally as strong on that scale.
Research Findings (Zahl & Gibson, 2008):
• On the positive dimensions, head knowledge tended to be stronger than heart knowledge.
• On the negative dimensions, heart knowledge tended to be stronger than head knowledge.
•
•
•
The four scales where people tend to have the largest head/heart discrepancies are:
Positive – Intimate, Negative – Distant, Positive – General, and Negative – General.
• Thus, in your interpretation, focus particular attention on these scales.
Insecure attachment tends to positively predict degree of head/heart discrepancy on the
Negative – Distant and Negative – General scales. Thus, see the client’s AGI scores.
Insecure attachment tends to negatively predict degree of head/heart discrepancy on the
Positive – Intimate and Positive – General scales. Thus, see the client’s AGI scores.
Life Story Questionnaire
Transfer each item rating to the appropriate line.
1) Emotional tone (overall):
_____
2) Emotional tone (next):
_____
3) Coherence:
_____
4) Head-Heart Discrepancy:
_____