“Faking” is Neither Good Nor Bad, It Is a Misleading Concept: A Reply to Tett and Simonet (2021)

Authors

Bernd Marcus, University of RostockFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-4993-9866

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25035/pad.2022.01.004

Abstract

This paper comments on Tett and Simonet’s (2021) outline of two contradictory positions on job applicants’ self-presentation on personality tests labelled “faking is bad” (FIB) versus “faking is good” (FIG). Based on self-presentation theory (Marcus, 2009) Tett and Simonet assigned to their FIG camp, I develop the ideas of (a) understanding self-presentation from the applicant’s rather than the employer’s perspective, (b) avoiding premature moral judgment on this behavior, and (c) examining consequences for the validity of applicant responses with a focus on the intended use for, and the competitive context of, selection. Conclusions include (a) that self-presentation is motivationally and morally more complex than assumed by proponents of the FIB view; (b) that its consequences for validity are ambivalent, which implies that simple credos like “FIB” or “FIG” are equally unjustified; and (c) that the label “faking” shall be abandoned from the scientific inquiry on the phenomena at hand, as it contributes to prejudiced and often erroneous conclusions.

Recommended Citation

Marcus, Bernd (2022) "“Faking” is Neither Good Nor Bad, It Is a Misleading Concept: A Reply to Tett and Simonet (2021)," Personnel Assessment and Decisions: Number 8 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25035/pad.2022.01.004
Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/pad/vol8/iss1/4

Corresponding Author Information

Bernd Marcus

bernd.marcus@uni-rostock.de