Impression management strategy and faking behavior in the self-report measurement of personality

Abstract

Personality tests are useful predictors of work performance; however, there is a concern among some practitioners and researchers that these tests can be faked. In the literature on faking, there is a fierce debate about the extent of this issue: some research has demonstrated that validity coefficients are reduced when people fake while other research has demonstrated that validity coefficients are not affected.

These conflicting findings are a direct result of three problems in the literature. First, there is little consensus about the definition of faking. Often the term “social desirability” is used interchangeably with faking though these are conceptually different constructs. Second, in many studies, paper and pencil lie scales are often used to measure faking, though these scales may not adequately detect faking. Third, little is known about the psychological processes that underlie faking behavior.

The present study will address these issues by proposing and testing a model of impression management strategy. In this model, faking is hypothesized to be immediately preceded by an impression management strategy, which, in turn, is preceded by one’s ability, willingness, and opportunity to fake and by the individual’s perceptions of the situation. Partial support for the initial model was found and a revised model was proposed. The revised model suggests that people who have a lack of rule consciousness and emotional stability, who are concerned about presenting a positive image, and who are willing to manipulate others to attain this goal are more likely to believe that faking is not only possible, it’s acceptable. Moreover, these individuals are more likely to plan on faking on a pre-employment personality test and then follow through on this plan. Implications of these findings include: a) people differ with regard to how much they will fake on a personality test in an employment setting with some faking substantially and others faking very little or not at all, b) the extent to which an individual fakes is determined by the person’s attitudes and personality characteristics, and c) faking may be prevented by altering people’s beliefs about their ability to fake and the appropriateness of faking.