Index of Adjustment and Values (IAV)

Abstract

The Index of Adjustment and Values (IAV), developed primarily by Bills, Vance, and McLean (1951), is a widely recognized psychological scale designed to measure key components of the self-concept and personal adjustment. The instrument typically consists of 49 descriptive adjectives or phrases which respondents rate across three distinct dimensions: the actual self (Self-Concept), the ideal self (Ideal Self), and the degree of satisfaction or self-acceptance with the actual self. The primary utility of the IAV lies in calculating the difference, or discrepancy score, between the actual self and the ideal self, which serves as a crucial indicator of psychological adjustment.

The scale utilizes a five-point rating system for each of the three columns, allowing researchers to quantify self-perception and value systems. Although initially targeted at academic samples, the IAV has been utilized across diverse populations to study self-esteem, vocational satisfaction, and overall psychological health.

Keywords

Index of Adjustment and Values, IAV, self-concept, Ideal Self, Self-Acceptance, discrepancy score, adjustment, psychological measurement, values.

Authors

Robert E. Bills, Edgar L. Vance, O. S. McLean

Purpose

The core purpose of the Index of Adjustment and Values (IAV) is to provide a quantitative assessment of an individual’s self-concept structure and the level of internal psychological adjustment. It achieves this by simultaneously measuring how individuals perceive themselves (Actual Self), how they wish they were (Ideal Self), and their emotional reaction to their current self (Self-Acceptance).

By obtaining three related scores—Self-Concept, Ideal Self, and Self-Acceptance—the instrument allows for the calculation of a critical discrepancy score. This score specifically quantifies the distance or gap between the real self and the desired self, providing insights into potential sources of anxiety, maladjustment, or self-dissatisfaction.

Construct

The IAV operationalizes several key psychological constructs related to the self. The primary constructs measured are:

• Actual Self-Concept: The individual’s perception of their current personality traits and characteristics (Column I).
• Ideal Self: The set of traits and characteristics the individual values and aspires to possess (Column III).
• Self-Acceptance (or Adjustment): The extent to which the individual is satisfied with their current self-concept (Column II).
• Discrepancy Score (Self-Ideal Congruence): The calculated difference between the Actual Self and the Ideal Self scores. A larger discrepancy typically suggests lower psychological adjustment and higher internal conflict.

Validity

Validation studies for the IAV, particularly in early research, focused on establishing its relationship with other measures of personality and adjustment. The validity of the IAV is primarily supported by its strong theoretical grounding in phenomenological and self-theory perspectives.

The Discrepancy score is often correlated negatively with external criteria for adjustment, such as measures of anxiety, neuroticism, and poor academic performance, providing evidence of criterion validity. Furthermore, the measure of self-acceptance (Column II) has been shown to correlate positively with established scales of self-esteem, demonstrating convergent validity within the domain of self-evaluation.

Reliability

The reliability of the Index of Adjustment and Values is generally reported as high across its various sub-scores. Studies utilizing academic populations commonly report strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha) for the Self-Concept and Ideal Self scales, indicating homogeneity among the 49 items within each column.

Test-retest reliability has also been established, suggesting that the self-perceptions measured by the IAV are relatively stable over moderate time intervals, confirming the consistency of the instrument across repeated administrations.

Factor Analysis

While the IAV is often employed to yield composite scores (Actual Self, Ideal Self, and Discrepancy), various factor analyses have been conducted to investigate the underlying structure of the 49 items. These studies often reveal that the items do not load onto a single, unitary factor, but rather onto multiple dimensions reflecting different aspects of personality and social perception.

Common findings suggest factors related to personal effectiveness (e.g., competent, efficient), social desirability (e.g., friendly, acceptable), and emotional stability (e.g., calm, nervous). These results imply that while the overall discrepancy score is valuable, subscale interpretations based on factor analysis can provide a richer, multi-dimensional understanding of an individual’s adjustment profile.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Inventory / Adjective Checklist

Format: 49 adjectives rated across three independent 5-point Likert-type scales.

Language Available: Primarily English (translations exist in various languages for cross-cultural research).

Population Group: General population, often used with academic and clinical samples.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults.

Population Details: Originally standardized on college students (academic sample), but applicable to various groups seeking assessment of self-esteem and adjustment.

Test Methodology: Respondents complete the 49 item checklist three times, once for the actual self (how they are), once for their self-satisfaction (how they feel about how they are), and once for the ideal self (how they would like to be).

Keywords

Bills, Vance, McLean, self-esteem, personal adjustment, self-perception, psychological assessment, personality traits, self-ideal congruence.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material (Original affiliation was University of Alabama, Department of Psychology).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Index of Adjustment and Values (IAV) was initially published in 1951. Since it is an older, non-proprietary instrument, it is widely used in academic research and is often made available for non-commercial use without significant fees, though official manuals may require purchase. The primary publication year is 1951.

The instrument is available through various academic repositories. The original PDF of a chapter detailing the instrument can be downloaded here: http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/68370/9/09_chapter%204.pdf

A related resource on social psychological attitudes, which includes the IAV, can be accessed here: https://www.psc.isr.umich.edu/dis/infoserv/isrpub/pdf/Measuresofsocialpsychologicalattitudes_2928_.PDF

Reference’s

• Bills, R.E., Vance, E.L., and McLean, O.S. (1951). An index of adjustment and values, Journal of Consulting Psychology, 15(3), 257-261.
• Bills, Robert E. (1956). Index of adjustment and Values, Manual, University, Alabama, University of Alabama, Department of Psychology.
• Lefkowitz, J. (1967). Self-esteem of industrial workers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 51(6), 521-528.
• Wylie, Ruth C. (1961). The Self-concept: A review of methodological considerations and measuring instrument, Volume 1. University of Nebraska press. pp 150-164.
• Robinson, John P., Shaver, Phillip R. (1969). Measures of Political Attitudes. Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Items of the Index of Adjustment and Values (IAV)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

I AM A (AN) ________ PERSON.

Column I: HOW MUCH OF THE TIME this statement is like you

1. Seldom, this is like me.
2. Occasionally, this is like me.
3. About h a l f the time, this is like me.
4. A good deal of the time, this is like me.
5. Most of the time, this is like me.

Column II: How you feel about the way you are

1. I very much dislike being as I am in this respect.
2. I dislike being as I am in this respect.
3. In either dislike being as I am nor dislike being as I am in this respect.
4. I like being as I am in this respect.
5. I like very much being as, I am in this respect.

Column III: HOW MUCH OF THE TIME you would like this trait to be a ch‎aracteristic of you

1. Seldom, would I like this to be me.
2. Occasionally, I would like this to be me.
3. About half the time, I would like this to be me.
4. A good deal of the time, I would like this to be me.
5. Most of the time, I would like this to be me.