Seven social performance scales for the California Psychological Inventory

This article describes the construction and validation of 7 scales for the California Psychological Inventory (Cough, 1975, 1987) based on a socioanalytic interpretation of the Five-Factor Model. The scale construction differed from traditional rational and empirical approaches in that it regarded responses to personality items as speech acts-skilled performances that create an effect on an audience. Expected group differences across 10 samples (total N = 763) and relations with other personality inventory scores, vocational choice, educational achievement, drug use and anti-social behavior, job performance, and observer ratings supported the construct validity of the scales.