Philosophy of Human Nature

Wrightsman, L. S. (1964). Measurement of philosophies of human nature. Psychological Reports, 14(3), 743-751.

	Table of Contents
	Description
	History of Use
	References

Description:

Purpose		The Philosophy of Human Nature was designed to assess individuals' views of human nature, which was defined as their expectancies "that people will behave in certain ways." It assesses 6 components of human nature. Trustworthiness: "the extent to which people are seen as moral, honest, and reliable" Altruism: "the extent of unselfishness, sincere sympathy, and concern for others present in people" Independence: "the extent to which a person can maintain his convictions in the face of society's pressures toward conformity" Strength of Will and Rationality: "the extent to which people understand the motives behind their behavior and the extent to which they have control over their own outcomes" Complexity of Human Nature: "the extent to which people are complex and hard to understand" Variability in Human Nature: "the extent of individual differences in basic nature and the basic changeability in human nature"
Questions		84 items using 6-point ratings
Sub-scales		6 sub-scales, each with 14 items: Trustworthiness Altruism Independence Strength of Will and Rationality Complexity Variability
Domain
Psychometrics
Sample items

References:

Scale:

Wrightsman, L. S. (1964). Measurement of philosophies of human nature. Psychological Reports, 14(3), 743-751.

Uses:

Begue, L. (2002). Beliefs injustice and faith in people: just world, religiosity and interpersonal trust. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(3), 375-382. doi: 10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00224-5

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