The Construct Validation Approach to Personality Scale Construction

Scale construction continues to be a popular activity among basic and applied personality researchers. We conducted a I'sycINFO search of English-language journal articles published during the past 55 years that (1) included the keywords test construction, scale developmetlt~ scale construction~ or measure development and (2) also included the keyword personality. Using these criteria, our search revealed a total of 5,071 articles published since 1950, of which 3,609 (69.4%) have been published since 1985. Through the Jate 1980s and the 1.9905, approximately 168 such articles) on av~ erage, were published each yea~ but this num­ ber has increased markedly in first balf of this decade. Between the years 2000 and 2004, an average of 218 personality scale construction articles. were published each year, representing a 30% increase as compared with the 15 years prIor. Several points are notable from these data. First, approximarely two"thirds of all personal­