DEVELOPMENT OF THE 'GAINING AND MAINTAINING POWER STRATEGIES SCALE' - A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

Oct 15, 2026

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Study development focuses on power as an inevitable aspect of human interaction, where individuals compete to gain or maintain power using tactics such as political tactics, influence tactics, and impression management. A comprehensive 29-item Gaining and Maintaining Power Strategies Scale was created through item generation, expert review, and pilot testing. Validity and reliability were evaluated with data from 805 teachers across 55 schools, using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and internal consistency estimates showing strong psychometric performance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background

Power, impression management, and political behavior

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ‘GAINING AND MAINTAINING POWER STRATEGIES SCALE’: A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY SÜHEYLA ORAN ÇINAR Ministry of National Education, Eskisehir, Turkey CEMIL YÜCEL CAVIDE DEMIRCI Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey ABSTRACT In environments where individuals are the subjects, power struggles are inevitable. To gain or maintain power, people use tactics such as political tactics, influence tactics, impression management, and non-verbal impression management. Previous studies have examined these tactics either separately or together using various methods. This study aims to develop a comprehensive tool incorporating all these approaches, benefiting both literature and researchers. After a literature review, 51 items were initially created. Expert evaluation reduced them to 34, and a pilot study excluded five items with factor loadings below .60. The final 29-item scale was tested on data from 805 teachers in 55 schools in Eskişehir’s Tepebaşı and Odunpazarı districts. Exploratory factor analysis grouped the items into four sub-factors, explaining 73. 717% of the variance, with loadings from .701 to .898. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable model fit (X²/df = 3.092), good fit (RMSEA = .052), and excellent indices for CFI, GFI, AGFI, NFI, NNFI, RFI, and IFI (.99). Cronbach’s alpha was .941, with subscale coefficients from .915 to .961. These results suggest the Gaining and Maintaining Power Strategies Scale is a valid and reliable tool. INTRODUCTION Background The concept of “power” is intertwined with almost all scientific disciplines, from social sciences to natural sciences, and is defined differently in each field. Throughout history, power has played a significant role in human relationships and has been a crucial factor in shaping many social and political developments (Fromm, 1990). The desire to acquire power is an important motivation for individuals, as power could influence human behavior, either to adopt, persuade, or establish authority (Schwartz, 1994) . Once individuals acquire power, they tend to strive to maintain it and avoid losing it (Adler, 2011) . Power is crucial because it enables individuals to obtain what they desire (Eroğlu, 1998) . To understand whether an individual possesses power or not, it is essential to see how much influence he/she has over others’ actions and behavior. Those who influence others can be said to have power (Güney, 2015). Although it varies on an individual level, the “desire to be powerful” has manifested itself in various areas of contemporary life and is inherently competitive in nature. If not directed properly, it can lead to negative processes both at the organizational and individual levels (Horuz & Taşgit, 2020) . As a social being, humans engage in mutual interactions with their environment. People tend to maintain their relationships by leaving a positive first impression. The primary goal in interaction is for the impression formed by the other party to align with what the individual desires. For this reason, individuals put effort into leaving the impression they seek. These impressions can range from being liked, to being emulated, or even being feared (Doğan & Kılıç, 2009) . Montagliani and Giacalone (1998) define impression management as the conscious and Educational Planning | Summer 2025 10 Vol. 32, No. 3 active effort to direct social interaction in order to gain social power (Montagliani & Giacalone, 1998); Kaplan et al. (1990) view it as the tactics an individual uses to create a desired identity and image in others (Kaplan et al., 1990) . Since individuals care about how they are perceived and evaluated by others, they aim to shape the impression they make, which in turn can be used to influence the direction of social interaction (O’Callaghan & Doyle, 2001) . In an organization, an individual aiming to achieve or maintain a specific position strives to solidify their place by leaving p

FAQs

What is the main goal of the study?

To develop a comprehensive scale that incorporates strategies used to gain and maintain power, and to test its validity and reliability.

How was the final scale developed?

An initial pool of 51 items was reduced through expert evaluation to 34, and five low-loading items were removed in a pilot study, resulting in a 29-item final scale.

How were the psychometric properties evaluated?

The scale was tested with 805 teachers, using exploratory factor analysis to identify four sub-factors and confirmatory factor analysis to assess model fit, alongside Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by moss~