Constructing an Assessment for the Imbalance Theory of Foolishness

Melvin J. Woodard III
(Indiana Wesleyan University, USA)

Abstract: This research study sought to construct a valid and reliable assessment for the imbalance theory of foolishness (Sternberg, 2002, p. 111). This theory was first introduced in a chapter entitled “Smart People Are Not Stupid, But They Sure Can Be Foolish” (Sternberg, 2002, pp. 232-242). This theory builds upon the balance theory of wisdom (Sternberg, 1998) and contains six fallacies of thinking: unrealistic optimism, egocentrism, omniscience, omnipotence, invulnerability, and ethical disengagement (Sternberg, 2008b). Sternberg (2002) believed that foolishness was the result of people in positions of great power letting down their guard because of acquired dispositions, e.g., omniscience, omnipotence, and invulnerability. Jordan (2005a) argued that in organizational environments where power and status are highly valued, the “emphasis on gaining and retaining power and status is expected to prime those in such environments to develop fallacious ways of thinking about oneself and one’s abilities” (p. 20). Power was assumed to predispose individuals to foolish thinking and behavior in this study. Scale development was initiated from an item pool of 150 questions (reduced to 56 items) generated from articles written by Sternberg and Jordan. Discussion includes introduction, rationale, definitions, hypothesis, participants, instrumentation, procedure, data analysis, results, discussion and suggestions for future research.

Keywords: imbalance theory of foolishness; fallacies of thinking; wisdom; scale development

JEL code: L20