HQ Asia: What is the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory? What inspired you to create this instrument?

The Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI) is a personality measure created specifically for the Chinese people. Previously I had collaborated with the Institute of Psychology in the Chinese Academy of Science on the translation of a Western personality test, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and its later versions.

However, our research showed that while there are many cultural universals, there are also important cultural differences and gaps in these imported measures. In the early 1990s, we began to develop a culturally relevant measure that examined the universal – as well as unique – personality dimensions of Chinese people using state-of-the-art method in personality assessment. Hence, the purpose of the CPAI was to provide a comprehensive measure of the personality traits of the Chinese people from an indigenous perspective.

My experience as a foreign student in America made me more sensitive to cultural differences in values, beliefs and behaviours. When I took a personality questionnaire in both English and Chinese, I achieved different scores in the same test. I then realised that I might have given different responses to the same question because I was making references to interactions with my respective American and Chinese friends. It was experiences like these that made me realise the importance of understanding cultural context in psychology.

How is the CPAI different from other assessment tools developed in the West?

In our research comparing the CPAI with other Western personality tests, we found a unique personality factor beyond the universal factors, which we called ‘Interpersonal Relatedness’. This factor is rooted in the Confucian values of maintaining social propriety while exercising self-discipline. Two of the sub-scales within this factor are ‘Harmony’ (one’s inner peace of mind, contentment and avoidance of interpersonal conflict) and ‘Renqing’ (Reciprocal Relationship). ‘Renqing’ measures one’s adherence to cultural norms of social interaction, such as courteous rituals and the maintenance of social ties.

Another interesting scale of the CPAI is Ah Q Mentality (or Defensiveness). Ah-Q is a fictional character famous for his self-deception even when faced with humiliating defeats.

For example, after being beaten and robbed, he slapped himself on the face. He then sees himself as the victor because he was the one that did the slapping. Our Ah Q Mentality scale measures the extent individuals adopt defence mechanisms, such as self-protective rationalisation and externalisation of blame. Personality traits like Renqing and Ah Q Mentality were previously not studied by western researchers, but in our research, they were found to be useful predictors of behaviours and outcomes.

How can organisations use the CPAI?

Studies using the CPAI to predict job performance have shown that the ‘Interpersonal Relatedness’ factor made a difference. For example, harmony is associated with better customer orientation, cooperation at work and emotional intelligence. Hence, companies can look to place employees high on Harmony on roles requiring close customer interactions or collaboration, or in cultures that avoid interpersonal conflict.

Similarly, studies have shown that ‘Renqing’ and ‘Harmony’ positively predict leadership effectiveness in a Chinese context. Executives who scored high on Renqing showed greater sensitivity towards the feelings of others, and complied more with prescribed social guidelines. Hence, the CPAI can help organisations make more informed management choices especially in a Chinese context.

Interestingly, we have found evidence that the CPAI is relevant for not just the Chinese people. The CPAI has been translated into English and other Asian and European languages. Studies with American, European and other Asian samples show that personality dimensions we had thought were uniquely Chinese were also relevant to other contexts – especially collectivistic cultures. Hence, the CPAI may have broader applicability beyond Chinese societies, and we have renamed the CPAI as the Cross-cultural (Chinese) Personality Assessment Inventory.

This article was first published in HQ Asia (Print) Issue 05 (2013).