Acquiescence and bipolarity in personality questionnaires

Abstract

The present study was undertaken for two major reasons: (a) to assess the relative importance of acquiescence response sets in content scored personality inventories, and (b) to investigate the advisability of the bipolar characterization of personality scales. A substantial number of previous investigations had suggested that response styles, among them acquiescence, are major determiners of responses to personality questionnaires. Studies performed largely with the California F scale and the MMPI suggested that present day personality inventories are hazardously contaminated with response styles. The present investigation did not reveal any contamination of content scored personality scales by acquiescence response styles. It was suggested that previous studies applying the item reversal model had perhaps used awkwardly worded item reversals which precipitated the emergence of acquiescent response tendencies. It was further suggested that while impersonal sociopolitical attitude items may well elicit acquiescent response tendencies, personality scale items bearing personal relevance to individuals may not possess this property. The role of double negations, and educational level on the emergence of acquiescent tendencies was also discussed. The haphazard and habitual designation of personality dimensions as unipolar or bipolar without due regard to the scalar properties of the measuring instrument was criticized. The results of the present investigation revealed that personality scales could be highly polarized, although bipolar scales are not uncommon. The practical implications of bipolarity for counselling were pointed out and the need for well developed concepts of bipolarity at the theoretical and experimental level was stressed.