Relationship between selected personality variables: measured by the patterns of social adaptation scale and the California psychological inventory

The problem of this investigation was to examine the validity of the Patterns of Social Adaptation Scale (PSA) as a measure of assertion. The instrument was administered concurrently with the California Personality Inventory (CPI) to 99 undergraduate nursing students, all of whom were women. Significant correlations were obtained between assertiveness as measured by the PSA, and eight personality dimensions measured by the CPI (dominance, capacity for status, sociability, self acceptance, tolerance, social presence, achievement via conformance and psychological mindedness). Multiple regression analysis suggested that assertiveness may be partially explained by these eight personality variables (R[2] = .2409). The CPI variable which contributed the greatest weight to the prediction was psychological mindedness (B-.249). These findings correspond with descriptive definitions of assertion as reported in the literature. The results of this investigation were consistent with the general hypothesis that the PSA has some validity as a measure of assertion.