Psychological Attachment Instrument – PAI
Measures organizational commitment across the dimensions of internalization, identification, and compliance.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Psychological Attachment Instrument – PAI was developed by O’Reilly, C. A., III, & Chatman, J. A. (1986). It is designed to measure Organizational Commitment. The scale is intended for use with Employees / working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Identification and Internalization, Compliance.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Identification and Internalization | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | 8 |
| Compliance | 9,10,11,12 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly agree, 2 = Agree, 3 = Slightly agree, 4 = Neither agree nor disagree, 5 = Slightly disagree, 6 = Disagree, 7 = Strongly disagree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 12 to 84. Interpretation guidelines:
- High Agreement (Strong Attachment/Compliance): 12 – 36
- Moderate Agreement: 37 – 60
- Low Agreement (Weak Attachment/Compliance): 61 – 84
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha values ranged from .86 to .91.
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.