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CARTCPI 260® - California Psychological Inventory
Author: Harrison G. Gough
“…the goal of the inventory is to assess individuals by means of variables and concepts that ordinary people use in their daily lives to understand, classify, and predict their own behavior and that of others. The patterns and configurations among such variables depict, and correspond to, the uniqueness of all individuals.” (p.1)
-- From Gough, H. G., & Bradley, P. (1996). CPI manual (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
The CPI 260® assessment is a scientifically developed tool that provides deep insights into a person’s personality and behavioral tendencies. It is built on decades of psychological research and is often used in professional and leadership development contexts. With 260 carefully selected true/false questions, the assessment evaluates dozens of key personality characteristics that influence your success in areas like communication, decision-making, and relationship-building.
The assessment allows the generation of a detailed personality profile across multiple dimensions, such as sociability, responsibility, self-control, and leadership. Using the CPI 260 assessment, users can generate actionable insights to build on strengths, address potential blind spots, and improve collaboration with others.
Overall, the CPI 260 is a practical and highly respected tool for self-awareness and personal development. It helps individuals and organizations better understand the human side of leadership and teamwork, equipping people with the knowledge to make meaningful improvements in their work and personal lives. Whether you're looking to enhance your effectiveness as a leader, improve relationships with colleagues, or gain a deeper understanding of yourself, the CPI 260 provides a valuable roadmap for growth and success.
The full CPI 260 assessment is not available for purchase at this time, but each individual scale can be accessed separately. This allows you to focus on the specific insights that matter most to your needs.
- CPI Scales
- Resources
- Translations
Uses of the CPI 260 scales
- Self-Evaluation
- Leadership development
- Coaching and personal growth
- Organizational research
Scales
Dealing with Others:
Self-management:
Motivations and Thinking Styles:
Achievement via Conformance (Ac)
Achievement via Independence (Ai)
Personal Characteristics:
Work-Related Measures:
Law Enforcement Orientation (Leo)
Higher Order Measures:
Orientation Toward Others (v.1)
“Researchers and practitioners would be wise to consider utilizing this instrument to evaluate client career development and choice. Test scores from the CPI 260 can help clients navigate next steps of their career development in a variety of ways.” (p. 150)
“…researchers can expand upon previous studies by exploring further as to how administrators of the CPI 260 can use the results to predict outcomes and behaviors of students, employees, and supervisors, and for diverse populations. One potential avenue for exploration could be predicting academic success for various generations of students (e.g., Generation Z, adult learners) or for those of specialized populations (e.g., first generation students, honors students, those with disabilities). Fortunately, there are still many opportunities available to exploring the CPI 260 and its utility further.” (p. 150)
-- From Reysen, R. (2019). California Psychological Inventory. In K. B. Stoltz & S. R. Barclay (Eds.), A comprehensive guide to career assessment. Broken Arrow, OK: National Career Development Association.
Resources:
Gough, H. G. (2009). Comprehensive bibliography of the CPI™ assessment: 1948–2008. Mountain View, CA: CPP, Inc.
Schaubhut, N. A., Thompson, R. C., & Morris, M. L. (2011). International technical brief for the CPI 260® assessment.
Comparing the CPI 260® instrument to the Benchmarks scales: An initial validity study. (2002).
Please contact info@mindgarden.com to request translations.