ACL

Generalities

The ACL (Adjective Check List) was devised by Harrison Gough and Alfred Heilburn. It is published by Consulting Psychologists Press and distributed by Mind Gardens, Menlo Park, CA.

The ACL was initially developed at the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research, then the Institute of Personality and Social Research, or IPSR, in Berkeley as a procedure to help staff members describe the personalities of individuals examined in assessment programs (Gough & Heilbrun, 1983, p. 1). John (1990) used a sample of 140 men and 140 women who had participated in groups of 10 to 15 in one of the IPAR assessment weekends. As each subject had been described on the ACL by 10 staff members, a factor analysis using these aggregated observer judgments could be performed.

Assessment

ACL’s initial version included 112 items. The current version consists of 300 adjectives and adjectival phrases commonly used to describe a person’s attributes. The publisher says it takes 10 to 15 minutes to answer.

The ACL may be administered to an individual to elicit a self-evaluation or a characterization of someone else. Administration time varies from ten to fifteen minutes. It can be administered on paper/pencil mode or online.

37 traits are measured and regrouped in four categories: Modus Operandi, Need, Topic, Transactional Analysis, and Origence-Intellectence.

The need scales come from Henry A. Murray's Need-Press theory of personality. The transactional analysis scales come from Eric Berne's transactional analysis theory of personality. The origence-intellectence scales come from the work of George S. Welsh's on creativity and intelligence research.

Dimension	Description	GRI a priori
Number checked	Total number of adjectives checked.	Response Level
Favorable	The number of favorable (socially desirable) adjectives checked.	Analyzed with the Response Level
Unfavorable	The number of unfavorable (socially undesirable) adjectives checked.	Analyzed with the Response Level
Communality	Correspondence of responses to the pattern of checking typically found among people in general.	Analyzed with the Response Level

Need

Dimension	Description	GRI a priori
Achievement	To strive to be outstanding in pursuits of socially recognized significance.	High 4
Dominance	To seek and maintain a role as a leader in groups or to be influential and controlling in individual relationships.	High 1
Endurance	To persist in any task undertaken.	Response Level
Order	To place special emphasis on neatness, organization, and planning in one's activities.	High 4
Intraception	To engage in attempts to understand one's own behavior or the behavior of others.	High 2
Nurturance	To engage in behaviors that provide material or emotional benefits to others.	High 2
Affiliation	To seek and maintain numerous personal friendships.	Low 3, high 2
Heterosexuality	To seek the company of and derive emotional satisfaction from interactions with peers of the opposite sex.	Not Applicable
Exhibition	To behave in such a way as to elicit the immediate attention of others.	Not Applicable
Autonomy	To act independently of others or of social values and expectations.	High 1
Aggression	To engage in behaviors that attack or hurt others.	Not Applicable.
Change	To seek novelty of experience and avoid routine.	Low 3
Succorance	To solicit sympathy, affection, or emotional support from others.	Very high 2
Abasement	To express feelings of inferiority through self-criticism, guilt, or social impotence.	Not Applicable
Deference	To seek and maintain subordinate roles in relationships with others.	Extremely low 1

Topic

Dimension	Description	GRI a priori
Counseling readiness	Readiness to accept counseling or professional advice in regard to personal problems, psychological difficulties, and the like.	Not Applicable
Self-control	The extent to which self-control is imposed and valued.	Analyzed with the differences between the Natural and Role profiles.
Self-confidence	Self-confidence, poise, and self-assurance.	High 1
Personal adjustment	Good adjustment in the sense of the ability to cope with situational and interpersonal demands and a feeling of efficacy.	Engagement Level
Ideal self	Strong sense of personal worth, or harmony between what one is and what one wants to be.	Adaptation and Engagement Levels
Creative personality	The desire to do and think differently from the norm and a talent for originality.	Low 4
Military leader	Steadiness, self-discipline, and good judgment of the kind required in positions of military (or related) leadership.	Not Applicable, although behaviors relate to high 1, Factor 2 lower than 1, high 3, high 4, regardless of the function.
Masculinity	Role qualities such as ambition, assertiveness, and initiative are associated with everyday notions of masculinity.	Not Applicable, although behaviors relate to High 1, and Factor 2 lower than 1 regardless of gender.
Femininity	Role qualities such as helpfulness, sympathy, and affection are associated with everyday notions of femininity.	Not Applicable, although behaviors could be attributed to Low 1, and Factor 2 higher than 1, regardless of gender.

Transactional Analysis

Dimension	Description	GRI a priori
Critical parent	Not Applicable
Nurturing parent	Attitudes of support, stability, and acceptance associated with the concept of a "nurturing parent."	Not Applicable
Adult	Attitudes of independence, objectivity, and industriousness associated with the concept of a "mature adult."	Not Applicable
Free child	Attitudes of playfulness, impulsivity, and self-centeredness are associated with the concept of a "free" or very expressive child.	Not Applicable
Adapted child	Attitudes of deference, conformity, and self-discipline are associated with the concept of an "adapted" or very dutiful child.	Not Applicable

Origence-Intellectence

Dimension	Description	GRI a priori
High origence - low intellectence	Feelings and emotion (high origence) are valued more highly than detachment and rationality (low intellectence). High scores suggest informality, vitality, and playfulness.	High 1, high 2, low 4
High origence - high Intellectence	The high value is placed on both affect (origence) and rationality (intellectence). High scores suggest versatility, unconventionality, and individuality.	High 1, low 2, low 4
Low origence - low Intellectence	No particular value is placed on either origence or intellectence. High scores suggest contentment, conventionality, and optimism.	Low 1, high 2, high 4
Low origence - high intelligence	Rationality and analysis (intellectence) are valued more highly than feelings and emotion (origence). High scores suggest logicality, industriousness, and cognitive	Low 1, low 2, high 4

Usage

The ACL is proposed by the publisher for clinical, individual, and relationship counseling or research such as examining cultural archetypes or stereotypes, marketing, or sociological research.

The publisher also acknowledges usage in team building, personal and professional development, and conflict resolution. ACL’s price ranges from $15 to $20/report (03/2025).

Reliability and validity studies are available from the publisher in different languages. The ACL has been extensively researched.

References

See about ACL here on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjective_Check_List

Gough, H. G., & Heilbrun, A. B., Jr. (1983). The Adjective Check List manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

John, O. P. (1990). The "Big Five" factor taxonomy: Dimensions of personality in the natural language and questionnaires. In L. A. Pervin (Ed.) Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 66-100) New York: Guilford Press.

Murray, H.A. (1938). Explorations in Personality. New York: Oxford University Press.

Berne, E. (1961). Transactional analysis in psychotherapy. New York: Grove Press.

Welsh, G. S. (1975). Creativity and intelligence: A personality approach. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Institute for Research in Social Science, University of North Carolina.

Welsh, G. S. (1977). Personality correlates of intelligence and creativity in gifted adolescents. In J.C. Stanley, W.C. George, & C.H. Solano (Eds.), The gifted and the creative: A fifty-year perspective. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.