Deliberate Faking on Personality and Emotional Intelligence Measures

This study examined the extent the Big Five personality traits and emotional intelligence can be faked. Using a student sample, the equivalence of measurement and theoretical structure of models in a faking and honest condition was tested. Comparisons of the models for the honest and faking groups showed the data fit better in the faking condition. These results suggest that faking does change the rank orders of high scoring participants. The personality dimensions most affected by faking were emotional stability and conscientiousness within the Big Five and the general mood and stress management dimensions of Bar-On's Emotional Quotient Inventory–Short Form (1997) measure of emotional intelligence.