Raymond Cattell's 16 Personality Factors

Descriptors of Low Range Impersonal, distant, cool, reserved, detached, formal, aloof (Schizothymia) Concrete thinking, lower general mental capacity, less intelligent, unable to handle abstract problems (Lower Scholastic Mental Capacity) Reactive emotionally, changeable, affected by feelings, emotionally less stable, easily upset (Lower Ego Strength) Deferential, cooperative, avoids conflict, submissive, humble, obedient, easily led, docile, accommodating (Submissiveness) Serious, restrained, prudent, taciturn, introspective, silent (Desurgency) Primary Factor Warmth (A) Reasoning (B) Emotional Stability (C) Descriptors of High Range Warm, outgoing, attentive to others, kindly, easy-going, participating, likes people (Affectothymia) Abstract-thinking, more intelligent, bright, higher general mental capacity, fast learner (Higher Scholastic Mental Capacity) Emotionally stable, adaptive, mature, faces reality calmly (Higher Ego Strength)

Dominant, forceful, assertive, Dominance aggressive, competitive, stubborn, (E) bossy (Dominance) Liveliness (F)

Lively, animated, spontaneous, enthusiastic, happy go lucky, cheerful, expressive, impulsive (Surgency) Rule-conscious, dutiful, Expedient, nonconforming, Ruleconscientious, conforming, disregards rules, self indulgent (Low Consciousness moralistic, staid, rule bound (High Super Ego Strength) (G) Super Ego Strength) Social Shy, threat-sensitive, timid, hesitant, Socially bold, venturesome, thick Boldness intimidated (Threctia) skinned, uninhibited (Parmia) (H) Utilitarian, objective, unsentimental, Sensitive, aesthetic, sentimental, Sensitivity tough minded, self-reliant, notender minded, intuitive, refined (I) nonsense, rough (Harria) (Premsia) Trusting, unsuspecting, accepting, Vigilance Vigilant, suspicious, skeptical, unconditional, easy (Alaxia) (L) distrustful, oppositional (Protension) Grounded, practical, prosaic, Abstract, imaginative, absent Abstractedness solution oriented, steady, minded, impractical, absorbed in (M) conventional (Praxernia) ideas (Autia) Forthright, genuine, artless, open, Private, discreet, nondisclosing, Privateness guileless, naive, unpretentious, shrewd, polished, worldly, astute, (N) involved (Artlessness) diplomatic (Shrewdness) Self-Assured, unworried, Apprehension Apprehensive, self doubting, complacent, secure, free of guilt, (O) worried, guilt prone, insecure, confident, self satisfied (Untroubled) worrying, self blaming (Guilt

Proneness) Openness to Open to change, experimental, Change liberal, analytical, critical, free (Q1) thinking, flexibility (Radicalism) Self-reliant, solitary, resourceful, Self-Reliance individualistic, self-sufficient (Self(Q2) Sufficiency) Perfectionistic, organized, Tolerates disorder, unexacting, compulsive, self-disciplined, socially flexible, undisciplined, lax, selfPerfectionism precise, exacting will power, control, conflict, impulsive, careless of social (Q3) self-sentimental (High Self-Concept rules, uncontrolled (Low Integration) Control) Relaxed, placid, tranquil, torpid, Tense, high energy, impatient, Tension patient, composed low drive (Low driven, frustrated, over wrought, (Q4) Ergic Tension) time driven. (High Ergic Tension) Primary Factors and Descriptors in Cattell's 16 Personality Factor Model (Adapted From Conn & Rieke, 1994). Traditional, attached to familiar, conservative, respecting traditional ideas (Conservatism) Group-oriented, affiliative, a joiner and follower dependent (Group Adherence)

Relationship to the Big Five

This article is a very brief summary of the in-depth information that appears under the main listings--16PF Questionnaire and Raymond Cattell. Cattell referred to the 16 factors listed below as primary factors. They were developed in the 1940s and 1950s by scientifically sampling the widest possible range of behaviors, including using ratings by observers, questionnaires, and objective measurements of actual behavior. [1][2] [3] This took more than a decade, and was later validated in a range of international cultures over time. [4] Thus, these factors were seen to represent a fairly comprehensive listing of the basic dimensions of human personality. He then factored these primary traits (i.e., performed a second-order factor analysis) and discovered a smaller number of over-arching personality factors or domains that provided the overall structure and meaning for the primary traits. He labelled these Second-Order or Global Factors. For example, Extraversion was found to be a Global Factor that contained primary factors Warmth/Reserve(A), Social Boldness/Shyness (H), Liveliness/Seriousness (F), Group-Orientation/Self-Sufficiency (Q2), and Forthrightness/Privatness (N). [5] In the original Fourth and Fifth Editions of the 16PF, there were five global factors that correspond fairly closely to the later "Big Five" (BF): BF Openness => 16PF Openness/Tough-mindedness; BF Conscientiousness => 16PF Self-Control; BF Extraversion => 16PF Extraversion; BF Agreeableness/Dis-Agreeablenss => 16PF Independence/Accommodation; and BF Neuroticism => 16PF Anxiety (Conn & Rieke, 1994). In fact, the development of the Big-Five factors began by factor-analyzing the original items of the 16PF [6].

However, one big technical difference between Cattell's five Global Factors and popular Five-Factor models was Cattell's insistence on using scientific, oblique rotations, whereas Goldberg and Costa & McCrae used orthogonal rotations. Oblique rotation allows the factors to locate and define themselves, whereas orthogonal rotation forces the factors to arbitrarily be unrelated to each other (at 90 degrees to each other)--a quality which is true of very few known personality traits. However, this makes the factors easier to agree upon and to work on statistically in research. This forced the Big-Five traits into somewhat skewed definitions compared to the 16PF Global factors. For example, in Cattell's model, the basic personality trait of Dominance (Factor E) is strongly located in the Independence/Accommodation Factor (i.e., Big-Five Agreeableness) which represents a quality of fearless, original thinking and forceful, independent actions. However, other popular big five models consider Dominance as a facet of several BigFive traits, including Extraversion, Dis-Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Thus Dominance is spread very thinly across a range of Big-Five factors with little influence on any one (Cattell & Mead, 2008).