Development and validation of the good and evil character traits (GECT) scale

Abstract

The present study describes the development and validation of the good and evil character traits (GECT) scale. A set of 3,614 good and evil moral character descriptors (i.e., moral and immoral character traits) was selected from a dictionary of contemporary Chinese language and daily life expressions and ultimately condensed into 55 items. Then, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and parallel analysis (PA) were conducted to explore the structure and final items of the GECT with sample 1 (n = 350), resulting in 21 good items and 32 evil items. After that, in confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with sample 2 (n = 350), the resulting factor structure was confirmed for the 53-item scale (Study 1). Additionally, evidence of validity based on correlations with Honesty-Humility and Dirty Dozen was demonstrated (Study 2). The implications of our findings for the assessment of good and evil characters and further theoretical exploration are discussed.

Analysis of Scales and Measures of Moral Virtues: A Systematic Review

“…This is verified in most of the measurement instruments in the list of items. Articles that addressed specific moral virtues empirically observed one or two virtues: appreciation of virtues and their links with status (Bai, Ho, & Yan, 2020), self-consideration and consideration for others (Grappi, Romani, & Bagozzi, 2013), moral courage (Mansur, Sobral, & Islam, 2020), gratitude (Bernabe-Valero, Blasco-Magraner, & García-March, 2020;Gulliford, Morgan, Hemming, & Abbott, 2019;Hudecek, Blabst, Morgan, & Lermer, 2020;Morgan, Gulliford, & Kristjánsson, 2017), gratitude and love (Diessner, Iyer, Smith, & Haidt, 2013), humility (Colombo, Strangmann, Houkes, Kostadinova, & Brandt, 2021;Qin, Liu, Brown, Zheng, & Owens, 2019), integrity (Castro-González, Bande, Fernández-Ferrín, & Kimura, 2019), justice (Beekun, Westerman, & Barghouti, 2005;Beugré, 2012), self-forgiveness (Kim, Volk, & Enright, 2021), respect and responsibility (Manly, Leonard, & Riemenschneider, 2015), good and bad character traits (Jiao, Yang, Guo, Xu, Zhang, & Jiang, 2020), resilience (Lasota, Tomaszek, & Bosacki, 2020) and temperance (Shahab & Adil, 2020).…”

“…For Hair et al (2009), researchers should interpret any finding with caution when dealing with smaller samples or small proportions. In addition, the generation of more items through theoretical deepening, lexical analysis (Jiao et al, 2020), consultation with experts (Dawson, 2018), and potential respondents (pre-tests) are measures that could reveal items more aligned with virtues from specific contexts (Aguirre-Y-Luker et al, 2017). In this sense, the work by Shanahan and Hyman (2003) is an example of a study that conducted focus groups for pre-test among the few articles that used pre-testing (Libby & Thorne, 2007;Shanahan & Hyman, 2003).…”

Análise de Escalas e Medidas de Virtudes Morais: Uma Revisão Sistemática

“…Isso se verifica em boa parte dos instrumentos de medida no estilo de lista de itens. Os artigos que abordam virtudes morais específicas se dedicam a observar empiricamente uma ou duas virtudes: admiração às virtudes e sua relação com status (Bai, Ho, & Yan, 2020), autoconsideração e consideração pelos outros (Grappi, Romani, & Bagozzi, 2013), coragem moral (Mansur, Sobral, & Islam, 2020), gratidão (Bernabe-Valero, Blasco-Magraner, & García-March, 2020Gulliford, Morgan, Hemming, & Abbott, 2019;Hudecek, Blabst, Morgan, & Lermer, 2020;Morgan, Gulliford, & Kristjánsson, 2017), gratidão e amor (Diessner, Iyer, Smith, & Haidt, 2013), humildade (Colombo, Strangmann, Houkes, Kostadinova, & Brandt, 2021;Qin, Liu, Brown, Zheng, & Owens, 2019), integridade (Castro-González, Bande, Fernández-Ferrín, & Kimura, 2019), justiça (Beekun, Westerman, & Barghouti, 2005;Beugré, 2012), perdão de si mesmo (Kim, Volk, & Enright, 2021), respeito e responsabilidade (Manly, Leonard, & Riemenschneider, 2015), traços bons e maus do caráter (Jiao, Yang, Guo, Xu, Zhang, & Jiang, 2020), resiliência (Lasota, Tomaszek, & Bosacki, 2020) e temperança (Shahab & Adil, 2020). Além de virtudes específicas, virtudes associadas à liderança foram uma temática para a qual se desenvolveram várias escalas (Mansur et al, 2020;Qin et al, 2019;Riggio, Zhu, Reina, & Maroosis, 2010;Thun & Kelloway, 2011;Sarros, Cooper, & Hartican, 2006;Seijts, Gands, Crossan, & Reno, 2015;Wang & Hackett, 2016).…”

“…Hair et al (2009) recomendam que o pesquisador deve interpretar qualquer descoberta com precaução, quando se lida com amostras menores ou com uma proporção pequena. Além disso, a geração de itens em maior número, mediante aprofundamento teórico, análise léxica (Jiao et al, 2020), consulta com especialistas (Dawson, 2018) e potenciais respondentes (pré-testes), poderia reunir itens mais atrelados a virtudes de determinado contexto (Aguirre-Y-Luker et al, 2017). Por exemplo, Shanahan e Hyman (2003) fizeram grupos focais, mas poucos trabalhos descrevem a realização de pré-testes (Libby & Thorne, 2007;Shanahan & Hyman, 2003).…”

How Is Virtuous Personality Trait Related to Online Deviant Behavior among Adolescent College Students in the Internet Environment? A Moderated Moderated-Mediation Analysis

“…In addition, according to the theory of positive youth development [ 18 , 19 , 20 ], individuals have inherent strengths and potentials (e.g., character, caring/compassion) that contribute to their healthy development, which can help them reduce problem behaviors. Virtuous personality trait is one kind of moral character traits [ 21 ], also called the kindness trait, which embodies the overall characteristics of “good people”, including integrity, altruism, tolerance, faithfulness, and care for others [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. This “positive” personality trait may play a protective role in reducing adolescents’ online deviant behaviors.…”