The Self-Assessment Library

Values and Attitude Insights

WHAT'S MY ATTITUDE TOWARD ACHIEVEMENT?

Using the following scale, select the answer that best expresses your opinion on each of the 20 questions. Try to minimize the use of answer #4.
1 = I disagree very much
2 = I disagree on the whole
3 = I disagree a little
4 = In between or don't know
5 = I agree a little
6 = I agree on the whole
7 = I agree very much

People who are very successful deserve all the rewards they get for their achievements.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
It's good to see very successful people fail occasionally.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Very successful people often get too big for their boots.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
People who are very successful in what they do are usually friendly and helpful to others.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
At school it's probably better for students to be near the middle of the class than the very top student.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
People shouldn't criticize or knock the very successful.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Very successful people who fall from the top usually deserve their fall from grace.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Those who are very successful ought to come down off their pedestals and be like other people.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The very successful person should receive public recognition for his/her accomplishments.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
People who are very successful should be cut down to size.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
One should always respect the person at the top.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
One ought to be sympathetic to very successful people when they experience failure and fall from their very high positions.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Very successful people sometimes need to be brought back a peg or two, even if they have done nothing wrong.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Society needs a lot of very high achievers.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
People who always do a lot better than others need to learn what it's like to fail.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
People who are right at the top usually deserve their high position.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
It's very important for society to support and encourage people who are very successful.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
People who are very successful get too full of their own importance.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Very successful people usually succeed at the expense of other people.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Very successful people who are at the top of their field are usually fun to be with.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Source: Adapted from N. T. Feather, "Attitudes Toward the High Achiever: The Fall of the Tall Poppy," Australian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 41, 1989, pp. 239-67.