VANITY-MOTIVATED OVERSPENDING - PERSONNEL SCREENING FOR POSITIONS OF TRUST

Background data concerning financial responsibility is used frequently in screening applicants for positions of trust in which integrity is particularly desirable. Many applicants for positions of trust do not have any credit history, due primarily to their age. The assessment of financial responsibility for young adults who lack credit histories i s a major problem for employers. This article investigated the factor structure and predictive validity of a measure of vanity-motivated ove rspending based on a sample of 2,030 individuals. A confirmatory facto r analysis supported the relationship between vanity and poor spending habits; however, further refinement of the scales is warranted. Crite rion-related validity was supported for one of the scales.