The German Standard and Short Authentic and Hubristic Pride Scales: Psychometric Properties, Validity Testing, Self-Other Agreement, and Linguistic Correlates

Abstract

The authentic and hubristic pride (A&HP) model is the domineering paradigm in pride research. Authentic pride (AP) comprises feelings of accomplishment and self-worth, whereas hubristic pride (HP) includes conceit and arrogance. We provide a German version of the A&HP scale (Tracy & Robins, 2007), the GAHPS. We found a good fit for a two-factor solution. Internal consistencies were high. Nomological validity was supported for personality, self-esteem, and narcissism (Study 1, N = 569), status (Study 2, N = 565), and other emotions (Study 3, N = 204). In Study 4 (N = 184), AP and HP had different associations with prosocial and antisocial behavior. We found high self-other agreement (109 dyads) for AP but not for HP. Further, people used different words to describe AP and HP when they described themselves and peers, thus suggesting that the two forms are associated with different linguistic styles. Finally, using an Ant Colony Optimization algorithm, we derived a short form for the scale. Researchers are advised to choose the standard or short scale, depending on the research purpose. This research broadens the validity testing of the A&HP model and, for the first time, provides linguistic correlates of the two forms of pride.