Developing an Assessment Scale for Character - exploratory factorial analysis - results on a 21-item four-factor structure

Aug 26, 2026

Developing a character assessment scale explores the factorial structure of moral character and standards valued across key life contexts: family, workplace, close relationships, and public context. Item writing draws on these psychological factors and moral norms, with piloting studies supporting empirical refinement toward assessing moral character failure. Exploratory factor analysis on 300 participants identifies a best-fitting 21-item scale with a four-factor structure explaining 42.45% of variance. Factors include evilness, ill-tempered behavior, dishonesty, and upstartness.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Character assessment and moral character concepts

Existing instruments and theoretical foundations

Study aim and scale development process

Item writing and empirical piloting support

Developing an Assessment Scale for Character. An exploratory factorial analysis Ionescu Daniela Romanian Academy, Iasi Branch Received 06.04.2015; Accepted 26.06.2015 Available online 01.07.2015 Developing a character assessment scale is the more distal goal of the author. In this paper I aim to present a sequence of this psychometric process, namely exploring the factorial structure of a character assessment scale. In order to achieve this aim, we first explored the psychological factors relevant for a moral character. We also explored the moral standards that are valued in the main life contexts of an individual: family, workplace, close relationships and public context. These theoretical endeavors were important for the item writing process, as they provided the content of the scale. Furthermore, the item development phase was empirically supported through some piloting studies, which highlighted the direction of the scale to assess instances of moral character failure, generically recognized as proofs of a bad character. The present paper focuses on the results obtained after performing an exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 300 participants. The results suggest that the 21-item scale best fits a four-factor structures that cumulatively explain 42.45% of the variance. The factors are: evilness, ill-tempered behavior, dishonesty, upstartness. The scale reveals the moral profile of an individual in all four life contexts. Keywords: character, morality, moral character, assessment scale. Address of correspondence: Daniela Ionescu, Str. Lăcrămioarei, nr.25 A., postal code: 032081, Sector 3, București. Tel: 0734084504, E-mail: [daniela.ionescu27@yahoo.com](daniela.ionescu27@yahoo.com) [Acknowledgements: This paper is supported by the Sectoral Operational Programme](Acknowledgements: This paper is supported by the Sectoral Operational Programme)[ ](Acknowledgements: This paper is supported by the Sectoral Operational Programme)Human Resources Development (SOP HRD), finaced from the European Social Fund and by the Romanian Government under the contract number POSDRU/159/1.5/S/133675 Introduction One’s character is a sub-system of the personality, an ensemble of attitudes and values which motivate the individual to follow certain norms (Narvaez, 2012) . An individual with a moral character is one having a set of principles and who respects the values promoted by the society he/she lives in (Walker &Hennig, 2004) . Shlenkeret al. (2001) described character through the following basic features: integrity (sincerity, keeping promises and honesty), personal commitment to development and promoting good (selflessness and concern for others, instead of exclusive focus on oneself) and efficiency (continuous practice of self-control, responsibility, perseverance towards established goals).On the contrary, bad character refers to a disposition towards misconduct, to break social norms and values of the society he/she lives in, to lack a moral character. Character assessment is an important concern in the research field.Clonninger and his colleagues (1993) developed the Temperament and Character Inventory based on four temperament dimensions (novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, persistence) and three character dimensions (self-directedness, cooperativeness, self-transcendence) . The temperament traits are moderately heritable and stable and the character traits refer to a personal system of values and goals. Self-directedness is the ability of an individual to regulate his behavior according to his values and life goals and to adapt to different life situations. Cooperativeness implies the level of acceptance and identification with other people. Selftranscendence reflects spiritual values. The focus on spirituality as an important value that can direct one`s behavior is highlighted by CSI-Spirit instrument (Isaacowitz et al., 2003) . Spirituality is defined as the belief in a supern

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the paper?

To present the psychometric process of developing a character assessment scale by exploring the factorial structure relevant to moral character.

How are the scale items grounded in theory?

They are derived from psychological factors relevant for a moral character and from moral standards valued in major life contexts such as family, workplace, close relationships, and public settings.

What does the exploratory factor analysis reveal about the scale structure?

On a sample of 300 participants, a 21-item scale best fits a four-factor structure explaining 42.45% of the variance.

Which factors were identified in the final scale?

The factors are evilness, ill-tempered behavior, dishonesty, and upstartness, forming the moral profile across the four life contexts.

Aug 26, 2026

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