Impression Management Styles Scale – IMS
Measures the frequency with which individuals employ different impression management strategies in organizational settings.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Impression Management Styles Scale – IMS was developed by Mark C. Bolino, William H. Turnley (1999). It is designed to measure Impression Management Styles. The scale is intended for use with Working adults / employees.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 22 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Self-Promotion, Ingratiation, Exemplification, Intimidation, Supplication.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Promotion | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Ingratiation | 5,6,7,8 | 4 |
| Exemplification | 9,10,11,12 | 4 |
| Intimidation | 13,14,15,16,17 | 5 |
| Supplication | 18,19,20,21,22 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never behave this way, 2 = Very rarely behave this way, 3 = Occasionally behave this way, 4 = Sometimes behave this way, 5 = Often behave this way.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 22 to 110. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low overall use of impression management: 22 – 50
- Moderate overall use of impression management: 51 – 80
- High overall use of impression management: 81 – 110
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Self-Promotion: 0.88-0.92; Ingratiation: 0.80-0.91; Exemplification: 0.76-0.81; Intimidation: 0.84-0.89; Supplication: 0.93.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.