Use of the Comrey Personality Scales for Vocational Assessment
The Comrey Personality Scales (CPS) provides a comprehensive, multidimensional assessment instrument for measuring major personality characteristics. The CPS yields scores on eight personality dimensions plus two validity scales.
The eight scales are: T -Trust vs. Defensiveness; O -Orderliness vs. Lack of Compulsion; C -Social Conformity vs. Rebelliousness; A -Activity vs. Lack of Energy; S -Emotional Stability vs. Neuroticism; E -Extraversion vs. Introversion; M -Mental Toughness vs. Sensitivity; P -Empathy vs. Egocentrism; Validity Check; Response Bias. The Profile presents a description of the personality structure of "normal" socially functioning individuals useful in educational and business settings. The CPS provides a useful supplement to other sources of information being utilized to compose a well-rounded picture of a client's personal characteristics. Extreme scores, where they occur, can often provide a clue as to the source of current personal difficulties. The CPS Profile may also be helpful in the evaluation of vocational objectives under consideration as to whether they are realistic or unrealistic for the individual being counseled. The CPS can be used successfully for selection purposes rather than solely for career development purposes.
The purpose of testing in these cases is to identify those individuals most likely to succeed whatever the employment situation. The CPS could also be used to screen applicants for employment or to evaluate current employees for higher level positions within an organization. It should be noted that in some cases applicants may alter their responses to present themselves favorably. Applicants should be warned that cheating on the test can and will be detected so they should answer truthfully. If detected cheating, these applicants may be disqualified. The research cited in the Comrey Personality Scales Manual and Handbook of Interpretations for the Comrey Personality Scales, documents that individuals with certain kinds of scores have characteristics that would make them poor bets as employees.
An organization may be required to show by means of an empirical research investigation that the personality characteristics, as measured by the CPS, are statistically associated with measured success for failure on the job. Less stringent would be having to show only that the characteristics have negative implications in general but without providing empirically their relationship to success in a specific job situation. For example, a low score on the CPS Emotional Stability vs. Neuroticism (S) score is associated with emotional disturbance, poor functioning, and many other negative characteristics that would be likely to make the individual a poor employee. It is important that the legalities of using the CPS in the selection process be explored to determine under what conditions one has the legal right to use the CPS.
The "Successful Executive" was tested as part of an evaluation for promotion to a higher executive position. This profile has a normal Validity (V) score and only a very slightly elevated Response Bias score, suggesting that response distortion was mini- mal. As shown by the normal Trust (T) score, there is little evidence of anger or resentment in this person. The somewhat average scores on Orderliness (0), Social Conformity (C), and Activity (A) suggest a normally conscientious, conforming, and hardworking individual who is responsive to approval from others and not likely to exhibit severe authority problems. The slightly above average Emotional Stability (S) and Extraversion (E) scores indicate a good self concept and openness to warm relationships with people. The above average Mental Toughness (M) and below average Empathy (P) scores suggest personal ambition but not to the point of alienating others or interfering with normal adjustment to the opposite sex. Overall, the record is that of a normal, well adjusted person who is ambitious and well equipped from the personality standpoint to achieve success in a career of her choosing (age = 36).
In contrast is the "Successful Businessman." This profile was also obtained from an individual being evaluated for promotion. The profile has normal Validity (V) and Response Bias (R) scores, showing no evidence of faking. This impression is strengthened by the average score on Empathy (P) which is likely to be elevated if a person being evaluated for promotion is trying to "fake good." These signs are important in this record to validate the other rather high scores which otherwise might suggest faking. The high scores on Trust (T), Orderliness (0), Social Conformity (C), and Activity (A) suggest that this individual feels insecure, has a strong need to obtain the approval of others, and is engaged in a frantic effort to prove himself through achieving. This person probably experienced a good deal of pressure as a young person to do the "right" thing. The high Emotional Stability (S) and Extraversion (E) scores suggest that he suppresses these feeling of personal inadequacy and keeps up a bold front to himself and others. The above average Mental Toughness (M) score is also consistent with this pattern. This individual can be expected to function best in situations where they are likely to receive consistent support from those around them. Promotion to a position of high responsibility could result in a level of stress that they might find difficult to handle. They need to focus on relaxing more and learn to be less dependent on external approval as a means of maintaining self-esteem.
The eight CPS scales represent dimensions of normal personality as opposed to dimensions of psychopathology. The test was designed, therefore, primarily for the description of normal personality. However, individuals with extreme scores on these personality scales typically do not behave in a "normal" manner but exhibit aberrations in their life style that create adjustment problems. The CPS can be extremely useful in identifying individuals with emotional problems and how this may affect their adjustment to certain occupations.
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