Examining the structure of authenticity: A factor analytic study of the Authenticity Scale and Authenticity Inventory Subscales.

Bay?r-Toper, Aydan; Sellman, Edward; Joseph, Stephen

Abstract

Authenticity has received much empirical research attention in recent years. It is currently often measured using one of two psychometric tools - The Authenticity Scale (AS) and The Authenticity Inventory (AI). Although the development of both was influenced by similar theoretical ideas, their operational definitions are different. The AS consists of three subscales of authentic living, self-alienation, and accepting external influence, whereas the AI consists of four subscales of awareness, unbiased processing, behavior, and relational orientation. In order to understand the overall construct of authenticity, including all its varied aspects, two studies were conducted. In study 1 (N=1049), the three AS and four AI subscales were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis. Results showed that the subscales from these two instruments all loaded highly on a two-component model, which we represented as a distinction between outer and inner expressions of authenticity. In study 2 (N=527) Confirmatory Factor Analysis found the two factor model to be a good fit. In addition, in study 2 we also investigated the association of these two factors with social desirability, showing that greater authenticity was associated with lower social desirability. Overall, our findings provide new insights into the conceptualization of authenticity and suggest that both authenticity tools measure aspects of this two-factor model. These results provide a new framework to synthesize previous data on authenticity more effectively, and to develop new tools for the understanding and assessment of authenticity.

Citation

Bayır-Toper, A., Sellman, E., & Joseph, S. (2022). Examining the structure of authenticity: A factor analytic study of the Authenticity Scale and Authenticity Inventory Subscales. Humanistic Psychologist, 50(2), 304-319. https://doi.org/10.1037/hum0000223

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 17, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Dec 14, 2020
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Deposit Date: Oct 21, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 15, 2021
• Journal: The Humanistic Psychologist
• Print ISSN: 0887-3267
• Electronic ISSN: 1547-3333
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 304-319
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/hum0000223
• Keywords: authenticity, social desirability, measurement, factor analysis
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4982112
• Publisher URL: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-96317-001?doi=1