Dimensions of personality: 16, 5 or 3?—Criteria for a taxonomic paradigm

Condutas desviantes e traços de personalidade: testagem de um modelo causal

A meta principal deste estudo foi comprovar a adequação de um modelo causal à explicação de comportamentos socialmente desviantes (condutas anti-sociais e delitivas), considerando a contribuição dos traços de personalidade (neuroticismo, extroversão e busca de sensações). Para tanto, participaram 755 estudantes do Ensino Médio e Superior, sendo a maioria do sexo feminino (50,3%), de escolas privadas (53,0%) e com idades variando de 16 a 26 anos (média=20,1; desvio-padrão=3,12). Estes responderam ao Inventário dos Cinco Grandes Fatores de Personalidade, à Escala de Busca de Sensações e ao Questionário de Condutas Anti-Sociais e Delitivas. Os principais resultados indicaram que os traços neuroticismo e busca de sensações explicam satisfatoriamente as condutas anti-sociais, e estas predizem diretamente as condutas delitivas. Neste aspecto, conseguiu-se constatar que os traços de personalidade são úteis ao entendimento das condutas socialmente desviantes, com especial destaque para o traço busca de sensações. Destaca-se, no entanto, a necessidade de estudos posteriores considerando outras variáveis e contextos.

A meta-analytic investigation of conscientiousness in the prediction of job performance: examining the intercorrelations and the incremental validity of narrow traits

Researchers of broad and narrow traits have debated whether narrow traits are important to consider in the prediction of job performance. Because personality-performance relationship meta-analyses have focused almost exclusively on the Big Five, the predictive power of narrow traits has not been adequately examined. In this study, the authors address this question by meta-analytically examining the degree to which the narrow traits of conscientiousness predict above and beyond global conscientiousness. Results suggest that narrow traits do incrementally predict performance above and beyond global conscientiousness, yet the degree to which they contribute depends on the particular performance criterion and occupation in question. Overall, the results of this study suggest that there are benefits to considering the narrow traits of conscientiousness in the prediction of performance.

Heritability of dimensions of Eysenck's pen model and the alternative five-factor model of personality

The main aim of this study is to estimate the heritability of AFFM and PEN dimensions, including 67 pairs of twins (34 monozygotic and 33 dizygotic) of both genders, aged 18 - 44. The heritability has been estimated by the biometric method, two full (ACE and ADE) and three reduced (AE, DE and CE) models tested for each personality trait. Taking into consideration the AFFM dimensions, additive genetic factors and a non-shared environment contribute the most significantly to the phenotypic variation of activity, sociability and the impulsive sensation seeking; anxiety and aggressiveness are best accounted for by the dominant genetic effects. In the PEN domain, fit indicators suggest that ACE and the reduced AE models provide the best explanation for the phenotypic manifestations of neuroticism, while ACE and CE models account for the variation of L scale. Although the fit indicators calculated for extraversion and psychotic behavior are somewhat problematic, the parameter estimates show that extraversion is best accounted for by the additive genetic variance, shared environmental effects, and the non-shared environment, whereas psychotic behavior is the most adequately explained by both shared and non-shared environmental effects.

Benefits of all work and no play: The relationship between neuroticism and performance as a function of resource allocation

The authors evaluate a model suggesting that the performance of highly neurotic individuals, relative to their stable counterparts, is more strongly influenced by factors relating to the allocation of attentional resources. First, an air traffic control simulation was used to examine the interaction between effort intensity and scores on the Anxiety subscale of Eysenck Personality Profiler Neuroticism in the prediction of task performance. Overall effort intensity enhanced performance for highly anxious individuals more so than for individuals with low anxiety. Second, a longitudinal field study was used to examine the interaction between office busyness and Eysenck Personality Inventory Neuroticism in the prediction of telesales performance. Changes in office busyness were associated with greater performance improvements for highly neurotic individuals compared with less neurotic individuals. These studies suggest that highly neurotic individuals outperform their stable counterparts in a busy work environment or if they are expending a high level of effort.

The Role of Temperament in the Etiology of Child Psychopathology

A substantial proportion of children and adolescents come to suffer from psychological disorders. This article focuses on the temperament factors that are involved in the pathogenesis of child psychopathology. It is argued that besides the reactive temperament factor of emotionality/neuroticism, the regulative process of effortful control also plays an important role in the etiology and maintenance of internalizing and externalizing problems in youths. More specifically, vulnerability to child psychopathology is determined by a temperament that is characterized by high levels of emotionality/neuroticism and low levels of effortful control. Models are hypothesized in which reactive and regulative temperament factors either have interactive or additive effects on the development of psychological disorders in children, and conceptualized in terms of a developmental psychopathology perspective. Directions for future research and clinical implications of this temperamental view on psychopathology are discussed.

Delineating the structure of normal and abnormal personality: an integrative hierarchical approach

Increasing evidence indicates that normal and abnormal personality can be treated within a single structural framework. However, identification of a single integrated structure of normal and abnormal personality has remained elusive. Here, a constructive replication approach was used to delineate an integrative hierarchical account of the structure of normal and abnormal personality. This hierarchical structure, which integrates many Big Trait models proposed in the literature, replicated across a meta-analysis as well as an empirical study, and across samples of participants as well as measures. The proposed structure resembles previously suggested accounts of personality hierarchy and provides insight into the nature of personality hierarchy more generally. Potential directions for future research on personality and psychopathology are discussed.

Behavioral and molecular genetic contributions to a dimensional classification of personality disorder

This article examines the possible contribution of behavioral and molecular genetic research to the development of a dimensional classification of personality disorder. It is argued that the results of molecular studies are too preliminary to have immediate nosological significance. However, behavioral genetic methods could play a useful role in constructing a classification that reflects the genetic architecture of personality disorder. It is also argued that the best approach to constructing a valid classification would be to integrate behavioral genetic methods with the construct validation framework used in test construction. An integrative approach is proposed that seeks to combine constructs from alternative dimensional models. It is suggested that strong evidence of a four-dimensional structure to personality disorder provides a way to organize a preliminary model. An initial set of primary traits to define these secondary domains would then be compiled from existing models and refined using a combination of traditional psychometric analyses and behavioral genetic methods. It is concluded that an etiologically based classification is feasible for the DSM-V.

Does personality mediate the relation between alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality?

Alcohol volume and pattern have been previously demonstrated to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) in these data. The objective of this study is to assess whether personality is a mediator in this relationship. Interview data from 1154 men and women aged 18-64 in Winnipeg, Canada were linked to health care utilization and mortality records, with 8 years of follow-up. Cox regressions were performed for men and women on time to first event for physician visits, hospitalizations, and deaths due to coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, or other CVD. Models linking drinking to CHD outcomes were unaffected by personality covariates. Models of hypertension and other CVD outcomes were significantly affected by inclusion of personality covariates, but the only significant individual personality covariate was in the effect on other CVD in men: Ego strength had a protective effect [hazard ratio (HR)=0.95]. Personality covariates as measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and Barron's Ego Strength Scale make only a modest contribution to statistical models of the relation between drinking and cardiovascular health.

The Hierarchical Structures of the NEO PI-R and the 16 PF 51

Summary: The present study compares the higher-level dimensions and the hierarchical structures of the fifth edition of the 16 Personality Factors (16 PF 5) with those of the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO PI-R). Both inventories measure personality according to five higher-level dimensions. These inventories were, however, constructed according to different methods (bottom-up vs. top-down). Both questionnaires were filled out by 386 participants. Correlations, regressions, and canonical correlations made it possible to compare the inventories. As expected, they roughly measure the same aspects of personality. There is a coherent association among four of the five dimensions measured in the tests. However, Agreeableness, the remaining dimension in the NEO PI-R, is not represented in the 16 PF 5. Our analyses confirmed the hierarchical structures of both instruments, but this confirmation was more complete in the case of the NEO PI-R. Indeed, a parallel analysis indicated that a four-factor solution should be considered in the case of the 16 PF 5. On the other hand, the five-factor solution of the NEO PI-R was confirmed. The top-down construction of this instrument seems to make for a more legible structure. Of the two five-dimension constructs, the NEO PI-R, thus, seems the more reliable. This confirms the relevance of the Five-Factor Model of personality.

Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire: preliminary results of the Italian version

A study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties of the translated Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire in an Italian sample. Factorial analysis of the items, performed over 356 respondents (200 women and 156 men) showed a clear correspondence between factorial components and the five a priori hypothesized dimensions. The Italian version has provided satisfactory Cronbach coefficients alpha. Sex differences and intercorrelations among scales are similar to those in the original American sample. Correlations among the dimensions and four other personality measures yielded a satisfactory validity. The low power in this study may explain why the five derived factors explained only 27.6% of the variance in scores. Results suggest that the Italian version is a reliable tool for Italian research in the field of personality and individual differences.

Genetic animal models of anxiety

The focus of this review is on progress achieved in identifying specific genes conferring risk for anxiety disorders through the use of genetic animal models. We discuss gene-finding studies as well as those manipulating a candidate gene. Both human and animal studies thus far support the genetic complexity of anxiety. Clinical manifestations of these diseases are likely related to multiple genes. While different anxiety disorders and anxiety-related traits all appear to be genetically influenced, it has been difficult to ascertain genetic influences in common. Mouse studies have provisionally mapped several loci harboring genes that affect anxiety-related behavior. The growing array of mutant mice is providing valuable information about how genes and environment interact to affect anxious behavior via multiple neuropharmacological pathways. Classical genetic methods such as artificial selection of rodents for high or low anxiety are being employed. Expression array technologies have as yet not been employed, but can be expected to implicate novel candidates and neurobiological pathways.

Personality differences in childhood and adolescence: measurement, development, and consequences

Child psychologists and psychiatrists are interested in assessing children's personalities. This interest is fueled by the practical desire to identify differences between children that have predictive utility, and by recognition that future advances in developmental theory, especially in relation to gene-environment interplay, can only be as good as the measures on which they rely. The aim of this article is to facilitate these practical and theoretical advances. First, we delineate a taxonomy of measurable individual differences in temperament and personality in childhood, and point the reader to proven and/or promising measuring instruments. Second, we describe the processes through which early temperament differences may become elaborated into adult personality structure and lifelong adaptation, and identify gaps in the empirical research that need to be filled. Third, we explore the various connections between temperament/ personality traits and psychopathology, and direct attention to promising questions and strategies.

Development and validation of a Q-sort procedure to assess temperament and behavior in preschool-age children

Few broad observational measures of preschool-age children's temperament and behavior currently exist. Studied the Child Temperament and Behavior Q-Set (CTBQ-Set) as a naturalistic observation measure to tap the major domains of temperament and behavior in preschoolers. Pairs of observers rated the behavior of a community sample of preschoolers during 2 independent home visits using q-sort methodology. The CTBQ-Set scales displayed good levels of internal consistency and convergent and discriminant content saturation. The scales displayed good interrater reliability at each observation and moderate test-retest stability between observations. The construct validity of the CTBQ-Set scales was supported by correlations with mothers' ratings of their children's behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist for 2- and 3-year-olds (CBCL/2-3) and the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. The CTBQ-Set shows promise as an observer-reated measure of preschoolers' behavior and temperament in their natural home environment.

Applying the big five personality factors to the impostor phenomenon

The purpose of this study was to relate the impostor phenomenon (IP) to the Five-factor model of personality. A sample of 190 college students (79 men, 111 women) completed the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (Clance, 1985), the Perceived Fradulence Scale (Kolligian & Sternberg, 1991), and the NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Results of correlational and regression analyses support the predicted relations of imposter measures with high Neuroticism and low Conscientiousness. Facet-level correlations showed that depression and anxiety were particularly important characteristics of those with imposter feelings as well as low self-discipline and perceived competence. Implications for treatment and future research on the IP are discussed.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Temperament

Among the criteria for a personality paradigm the following three are the most crucial: biological basis (e. g., genetic contribution to the phenotypic variance), universality (existence of traits in different cultures) and reality (possibility to measure traits by different methods). The present study combines all three criteria to explore the impact of genetic and environmental factors on temperamental traits, as stipulated by Strelau 's regulative theory of temperament, across two culturally different samples (Polish and German), and by means of two diagnostic methods (self-report and peer-rating). The analysis was conducted on data obtained from 1009 same-sex pairs of twins (German sample) and 546 same-sex pairs of twins (Polish sample). For each subject the self-report as well as rating from two independent peers was recorded by both the Polish and German versions of the Formal Characteristics of Behavior-Temperament Inventory. Results demonstrate substantial heritability of temperamental traits, although average peer-rating tends to provide lower heritability estimates than self-report (for six traits M = 33% and M = 46% of the total variance, respectively). After separating the error variance from the effect of nonshared environment for both methods (self-report and peer-rating) and both samples, joint analysis indicated a very high impact of genetic factors (the average raised up to 66% of the total variance). No significant “sample” effect was found, so that we may allows to conclude that temperamental traits are determined in both cultures to the same extent by genetic factors.

Belgian Normative Data of the Temperament and Character Inventory* * The original data upon which this paper is based are available at www.hhpub.com/journals/ejpa

Summary: The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) is a 226-item self-questionnaire developed to assess the seven dimensions of personality described by Cloninger and his colleagues. Normative data from 322 representative French-speaking subjects from Belgium are presented and the psychometric properties are discussed. Mean scores of temperament dimensions were appreciably different from those published by Cloninger . In our sample, novelty seeking and self-transcendence scores were lower and harm avoidance scores were higher compared to US norms. The other dimensions were almost identical. The factorial analysis showed that the hypothesized factor structure of temperament and character dimensions was almost confirmed. The present study also confirmed that the TCI scales were weakly related among themselves. The relationships were consistent with those reported by previous reports. Gender differences were also found for different dimensions.