Finding middle ground between intellectual arrogance and intellectual servility: Development and assessment of the limitations-owning intellectual humility scale

Abstract

Recent scholarship in intellectual humility (IH) has attempted to provide deeper understanding of the virtue as personality trait and its impact on an individual's thoughts, beliefs, and actions. A limitations-owning perspective of IH focuses on a proper recognition of the impact of intellectual limitations and a motivation to overcome them, placing it as the mean between intellectual arrogance and intellectual servility. We developed the Limitations-Owning Intellectual Humility Scale to assess this conception of IH with related personality constructs. In Studies 1 (n = 386) and 2 (n = 296), principal factor and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a three-factor modelowning one's intellectual limitations, appropriate discomfort with intellectual limitations, and love of learning. Study 3 (n = 322) demonstrated strong test-retest reliability of the measure over 5 months, while Study 4 (n = 612) revealed limitations-owning IH correlated negatively with dogmatism, closed-mindedness, and hubristic pride and positively with openness, assertiveness, authentic pride. It also predicted openness and closed-mindedness over and above education, social desirability, and other measures of IH. The limitations-owning understanding of IH and scale allow for a more nuanced, spectrum interpretation and measurement of the virtue, which directs future study inside and outside of psychology.

Links between intellectual humility and acquiring knowledge

“…The use of two measures of IH in this research makes it more difficult to compare results between the studies conducted (Studies 1 and 2 versus Studies 3-5), however, the use of multiple measures also adds to the richness of the findings. Although Haggard et al (2018) have found multiple measures of IH to intercorrelated strongly, the current research points out that there may be differences in how distinct assessments of IH relate to measures of knowledge.…”

“…Need for cognition, cognitive reflection, intellectual engagement, and curiosity Previous research has indicated that the general population uniquely attributes the desire for knowledge to intellectually humble individuals, including love of learning, curiosity, and inquisitiveness (Samuelson et al, 2015). Some conceptualizations of IH include a desire for knowledge and love of learning (Haggard et al, 2018). In the current studies, effortful thinking and love of learning were not an inherent part of the definition of IH, but were considered relevant outcomes.…”

“…This is inconsistent with the conceptualization of IH as claiming knowledge to the degree merited (Samuelson et al, 2015), as it may indicate those higher in IH claim to know less than merited. Researchers have been cautious to distinguish IH from intellectual servility (Haggard et al, 2018) and previous research has indicated IH is not associated with less confidence in one's knowledge (Deffler et al, 2016) or less self-confidence in general (Krumrei-Mancuso & Rouse, 2016). It is possible the scale used in Studies and 2 may have tapped into intellectual servility or lower intellectual confidence, which could explain both the finding that IH was associated with underestimating one's cognitive ability relative to actual cognitive ability (Study 1) as well as the finding that IH was associated with lower GPA (Study 2), given that underestimation of one's cognitive ability may function as a barrier to learning.…”

Owning One’s Intellectual Limitations: A Review of Intellectual Humility

“…This scale is proven applicable across cultures, as has been demonstrated by its use in Germany (Alfano et al, 2017). (Davis et al, 2016;Haggard et al, 2018;Hoyle et al, 2016;Krumrei-Mancuso, Haggard, LaBouff, & Rowatt, 2020;McElroy et al, 2014;Meagher et al, 2015;Porter & Schumann, 2018). Furthermore, they are more tolerant of the ambiguous, and less closed-minded and dogmatic (Haggard et al, 2018;Hoyle et al, 2016).…”

“…Regarding the relationship between IH and other conceptions, there is a spectrum between intellectual arrogance or dogmatism and intellectual servility or timidity. IH is a delicate balance in this spectrum (Haggard et al, 2018;Hazlett, 2012;Wang & Yang, 2019). Furthermore, it has been suggested that IH is conceptually different from other psychological attributes, such as dogmatism, belief superiority, openness, attitude correctness, and uncertainty about what one believes, just to name a few (Leary et al, 2017).…”