Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium

The 20th annual Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 23, 2009.

Conscientiousness and Subjective Overachievement: A Facet-Level Analysis
Poster Session-Science Complex Atrium, 4:00 PM

Keith Zabel, '09 91
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Three Oaks, MI

Sponsor(s): Andrew Christopher
Support: FURSCA

Abstract:
We examined how different facets of subjective overachievement – self-doubt (SD) and concern with performance (CWP; Oleson et al., 2000) were rooted in the six facets of conscientiousness (Costa & McCrae, 1992). High SDs worry that they do not have the ability to perform successfully at tasks they undertake. High CWPs feel a strong need to appear successful to others. Thus, high subjective overachievers have a strong desire to appear successful to others, but doubt they have the ability to make favorable impressions. Regarding more basic levels of human personality, individuals with high levels of conscientiousness tend to be diligent, purposeful, goal-oriented individuals. There are six facets of conscientiousness; competence, order, achievement striving, self-discipline, dutifulness, and deliberation.

To test our hypotheses that SD would be negatively predicted by the conscientiousness facet of competence and that CWP would be positively predicted by the conscientiousness facets of order and achievement striving, 307 individuals (153 men) completed an online survey. Respondents completed Costa and McCrae’s (1992) 48-item conscientiousness scale and Oleson et al.’s (2000) 17-item subjective overachievement scale, as well as demographic information. Multiple regression analyses found SD to be predicted negatively by the conscientiousness facets of competence and self-discipline, but positively by deliberation. In addition, as hypothesized, CWP was predicted by the facets of order and achievement striving. Results supported previous research that found increases in predictive and incremental validity in measuring personality constructs at the facet level as opposed to the global level (Paunonen et al., 2003).