FIVE FACTORS OF PERSONALITY
Although trait theories were well established by the 1960s, there was no consensus concerning the number or nature of the traits that make up personality.
Replications of Cattell’s work in factor analysis often failed to find the original factor structure he described. Instead, a number of studies using Cattell’s variables came up with a simpler five factor structure (Fiske, 1949; Tupes & Christal, 1958, 1961). Since then, further research has confirmed a basic five actor model of personality or ‘Big Five’ (Digman, 1990; Goldberg, 1993):
Extraversion Sociable vs. retiring
Fun-loving vs. sober
Affectionate vs. reserved
Agreeableness Softhearted vs. ruthless
Trusting vs. suspicious
Helpful vs. uncooperative
Conscientiousness Well organized vs. disorganized
Careful vs. careless
Self-disciplined vs. weak willed
Neuroticism Worried vs. calm
Insecure vs. secure
Self-pitying vs. self-satisfied
Openness Imaginative vs. down-to-earth
Prefers variety vs. prefers routine
Independent vs. conforming
(From Costa & McCrae, 1985)
Extraversion and neuroticism are defined in the same way as Eysenck defined them. Openness to experience/intellect refers to receptivity to new ideas and experiences. People low on this trait prefer the familiar, practical and concrete, whereas those high on this trait are open to new experience, curious and imaginative. Agreeableness means the extent to which people are trusting, generous and concerned for others. Those low on agreeableness are viewed as antagonistic, tough-minded and hard-headed. Conscientiousness relates to organization and achievement. Highly conscientious individuals are ambitious, hard-working, competent and organized, and those low in conscientiousness are easy-going, low in self-discipline and not goal-driven. While this model presents five categories, it should not be seen as a simplistic generalization of trait theory. As in Eysenck’s (1967) model, each of the five factors is made up of a number of more specific traits. A questionnaire designed to measure traits within a five factor framework, the NEO-PI (Costa & McCrae, 1985), consists of 300 items. Respondents decide how characteristic each item is of themselves, rating each item on a five-point scale. As well as scoring on the five factors, respondents receive scores on six sub-scales associated with each of the factors. Most of the early work on the Big Five model was conducted in North America using the English language. If personality theorists are to have solid evidence of a universal five factor personality structure, they need to find evidence that the same model applies when languages other than English are used and when personality is examined in many different cultures. A recent review of studies involving European languages (De Raad et al., 1998) found general support for the Big Five. Evidence from studies conducted in non-Western cultures is less widely available, but does show some support for a five factor structure (Church et al., 1997). The Big Five forms the basis for trait assessment of personality at the beginning of the twenty-first century, with questionnaires such as the NEO-PI and subsequent revisions (NEO-PI-R, Costa & McCrae, 1992) being used widely in occupational psychology.
Although trait theories were well established by the 1960s, there was no consensus concerning the number or nature of the traits that make up personality.
Replications of Cattell’s work in factor analysis often failed to find the original factor structure he described. Instead, a number of studies using Cattell’s variables came up with a simpler five factor structure (Fiske, 1949; Tupes & Christal, 1958, 1961). Since then, further research has confirmed a basic five actor model of personality or ‘Big Five’ (Digman, 1990; Goldberg, 1993):
Extraversion Sociable vs. retiring
Fun-loving vs. sober
Affectionate vs. reserved
Agreeableness Softhearted vs. ruthless
Trusting vs. suspicious
Helpful vs. uncooperative
Conscientiousness Well organized vs. disorganized
Careful vs. careless
Self-disciplined vs. weak willed
Neuroticism Worried vs. calm
Insecure vs. secure
Self-pitying vs. self-satisfied
Openness Imaginative vs. down-to-earth
Prefers variety vs. prefers routine
Independent vs. conforming
(From Costa & McCrae, 1985)
Extraversion and neuroticism are defined in the same way as Eysenck defined them. Openness to experience/intellect refers to receptivity to new ideas and experiences. People low on this trait prefer the familiar, practical and concrete, whereas those high on this trait are open to new experience, curious and imaginative. Agreeableness means the extent to which people are trusting, generous and concerned for others. Those low on agreeableness are viewed as antagonistic, tough-minded and hard-headed. Conscientiousness relates to organization and achievement. Highly conscientious individuals are ambitious, hard-working, competent and organized, and those low in conscientiousness are easy-going, low in self-discipline and not goal-driven. While this model presents five categories, it should not be seen as a simplistic generalization of trait theory. As in Eysenck’s (1967) model, each of the five factors is made up of a number of more specific traits. A questionnaire designed to measure traits within a five factor framework, the NEO-PI (Costa & McCrae, 1985), consists of 300 items. Respondents decide how characteristic each item is of themselves, rating each item on a five-point scale. As well as scoring on the five factors, respondents receive scores on six sub-scales associated with each of the factors. Most of the early work on the Big Five model was conducted in North America using the English language. If personality theorists are to have solid evidence of a universal five factor personality structure, they need to find evidence that the same model applies when languages other than English are used and when personality is examined in many different cultures. A recent review of studies involving European languages (De Raad et al., 1998) found general support for the Big Five. Evidence from studies conducted in non-Western cultures is less widely available, but does show some support for a five factor structure (Church et al., 1997). The Big Five forms the basis for trait assessment of personality at the beginning of the twenty-first century, with questionnaires such as the NEO-PI and subsequent revisions (NEO-PI-R, Costa & McCrae, 1992) being used widely in occupational psychology.
No comments:
Post a Comment