DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION or THE INDEX or PERSONAL GROWTH (IPG) AND THE FAMILIAL AND DISPOSITIONAL PREDICTORS OF PERSONAL GROWTH

Abstract

The primwy p1lrpose of the present investigation was to develop an indigenous I~report measure of personal growth, named as the Index of Personal Growth (IPG). A e-faetor model of self-actualization proposed by Jones and Crandall (1986) essentially ided the development of IPG. The factorial validity and reliability of IPG was !ermined on a sample of400 postgraduate students (200 men and 200 women The data cumulated on 41-item IPG were subjected to principal components analysis to assess the nensionality of IPG. The resulting eigenvalues pro vided support to a four-jactor IUlion, accOllnting for 34.7% of total variance. A total of 35 itellls loaded at .30 and 'ove with co~(jicient alpha 0/.80. The construct validity oflPG was established through three separate studies. The 'st study was designed by finding Ollt the relationship of IPG wirll an estab lished measure . self-actualizGrion, namely Short Index of Self-actualization (SI; Jones & Crandall, )86). This sf1ldy was carried out on a sample of 90 postgraduate students (45 fIIen and 45 omen). which yielded a high correlation coejficient of. 63, p < . 000 between the two easures. In the second validity study of lPG, the relationship of IPG with Urdu translated ?rsioll of Imenzal Locus of COlltrol Scale (ILCS; Levenson, 1974) was examined. This 'lIdy was carried our on a sample of 150 postgraduate students (75 men and 75 women). s anticipated, results indicated that personal growth and internal locus of comrol were 'gnijica ntly refated with each other (I' = .45, P < .000). The third construct validity study JOk place in two parts. Part I was designed to develop an indigenolls self-report measure f self-disclosure, named as Selj~disclosllr e Situations In ventory (SSI), which can be lIsed ) measure general le vel of self-disclosure as well as self-disc!osureflexibility. Part 11 of III third slUdy "'.'as planned to flnd out the relationship of personal growth with general f-disclosure and self-disclosure flexibility. The data for this study was collected ji'Ofn 7 postgraduate students (75 men and 75 women), Correlation coefficients showed a nificant relationship between general self-disclosure and personal growth (r = .1 5, p = ~ and self-disclosure flexibility and personal growth (r = .32, P = .000) in the expected ·eetion. Mean scores ofIPG were also compared on 101V flexibility deviation group and ;h flexibility deviation group. The results showed that individuals who adhered to social rms when revealing personal information exhibited high levels of personal growth (M = 3, SD = 15) than those who deviated from them (".1 = 126, SD = 16). ivloreover, mean Jres of IPG for high and low disclosure flexibility deviation groups were compared ross three level., of dispositional s(,lf-disclosure. The results obtained indicated a bstantial difJerence among medium disclosing group depending on whether they adhered social norms across situations (kI = 137, SD = 14) or deviated Fom them (AJ = 127, Sf) 15). The presel1l investigation was also deSigned to examine the familial (three modes of lrental and maternal parenting style) and dispositional (internal locus of cOlltrol and If-disclosure flexibility) predictors of personal growth. For this purpose, data were IIhered Fom a sample of 200 postgraduate students (loa men and 100 women). on the llowing scales: Index of Personal Growth (lPG), Urdu translated version of Parental ~thority Questionnaire (PAQ: two sets of PAQ were used, one for paternal parenting yle and the secondfor matemal parenting style) (BlIri, 1991), Urdu translated version of Itema! Locus of Control Scale (Levenson, 1974), and Self-disclosure Sill/ations fnventolY ;Sf) . Results of correlational and multiple regression analyses indicated Ihat paternal (R2 .22, F = 18.65, p < .000) and maternal (R' = .11, F = 7. 77, P < .000) parental control lV 11i/'IC,'m.fl,' explained variance in personal gro"vrh of Iheir children /tv!oreovet, among three modes o/pareilling s(yle, authoritative paternal (jJ .47, p < ,000) and maternal ,3/, P ,OOOj parenting wasj(nmd to explain rmLtimum variance thail author/rarian t permissive pa(ernai Clnd materna! parenting 711e results also showed Ihal rhoritative fClthers' 1""0(7(', was stronger than authoritalive mothers' impact on personal )Wlh of their children regards the dispositional variables, correialion coelJicients d linear regression analyses indicated that personal growth was significantly predicted ,m internal locus of control (R= .23, F = 58. p < . 000) and self~disclos!lre flexibililY ,~ F 23.89,p<.OOO). [11 the present work, the role of internal locus of control and seif ,closure .flexibility as mediators between aulhoriralive parenting style (paternal and 1lemal) and personal growth was also determined The results ofpalh (mIll""'" clearly di(:ated that authoritative parenting (fathers and mOlhers, both) and internal locus of '"trol. in combination explained "r,ga,rer variance (R= 29, F ~ p < 000, for ther.)· .26, F = p < . 000 for mothers) ill personal growth than either pC/rarely. Similar~,·, the res1Ilts of path analyses also showed that the cOlllbined ellect of ,thoritative DaTe/1Iim! (Iiahen and morhers, bOlh) and selrdisdosure flexibility (R'25. 43, ]J .000, fathers and R' = ,19, F 25.56, P < .000 jor mothers) was 'eater than Ihe individual effects, The results overall verified the mediational role of ilerna! locus Wl1lrol and self-disclosure flexibility,