Five-factor model of personality and transformational leadership.

This study linked traits from the 5-factor model of personality (the Big 5) to transformational leadership behavior. Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, and Agreeableness were hypothesized to predict transformational leadership. Results based on 14 samples of leaders from over 200 organizations revealed that Extraversion and Agreeableness positively predicted transformational leadership; Openness to Experience was positively correlated with transformational leadership, but its effect disappeared once the influence of the other traits was controlled. Neuroticism and Conscientiousness were unrelated to transformational leadership. Results further indicated that specific facets of the Big 5 traits predicted transformational leadership less well than the general constructs. Finally, transformational leadership behavior predicted a number of outcomes reflecting leader effectiveness, controlling for the effect of transactional leadership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Five-factor model of personality and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis.

This study reports results of a meta-analysis linking traits from the 5-factor model of personality to overall job satisfaction. Using the model as an organizing framework, 334 correlations from 163 independent samples were classified according to the model. The estimated true score correlations with job satisfaction were -.29 for Neuroticism, .25 for Extraversion, .02 for Openness to Experience, .17 for Agreeableness, and .26 for Conscientiousness. Results further indicated that only the relations of Neuroticism and Extraversion with job satisfaction generalized across studies. As a set, the Big Five traits had a multiple correlation of .41 with job satisfaction, indicating support for the validity of the dispositional source of job satisfaction when traits are organized according to the 5-factor model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of personality to performance motivation: A meta-analytic review.

This article provides a meta-analysis of the relationship between the 5-factor model of personality and 3 central theories of performance motivation (goal-setting, expectancy, and self-efficacy motivation). The quantitative review includes 150 correlations from 65 studies. Traits were organized according to the 5-factor model of personality. Results indicated that Neuroticism (average validity=-.31) and Conscientiousness (average validity=.24) were the strongest and most consistent correlates of performance motivation across the 3 theoretical perspectives. Results further indicated that the validity of 3 of the Big Five traits--Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness--generalized across studies. As a set, the Big 5 traits had an average multiple correlation of .49 with the motivational criteria, suggesting that the Big 5 traits are an important source of performance motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

NEO PI-R personality characteristics of high-performing entry-level police officers.

The NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R; P. T. Costa, Jr., & R. R. McRae, 1992) measures the 5-factor model of personality (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness) and 30 specific personality facets within these domains. Researchers in personnel selection are beginning to use the NEO PI-R to describe the personality characteristics of high-functioning employees, including police officers. Here, 100 field training officers (FTOs) described the "best" entry-level police officers they had supervised, using the NEO PI-R Form R (Observer form). The resulting profile was notable for low Neuroticism, high Extraversion, and high Conscientiousness. NEO PI-R profiles of very high- and very low-performing entry-level officers were then compared. The low-performing group had higher Neuroticism and lower Conscientiousness scores than the high-performing group. The latter group was notable for low Neuroticism and high Conscientiousness scores that were similar to those obtained from the FTO sample. Results are relevant to identifying personality characteristics of high-performing entry-level police officers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of emotion expression and personality relations in early development.

To investigate emotion expression and personality relations, the authors coded infants' full-face and component positive and negative expressions during Episodes 4 through 8 of the strange situation procedure at age 18 months and obtained maternal ratings of the 5-factor model of personality when children were 3.5 years old. Full-face negative expression was directly related to Neuroticism and inversely related to Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. By contrast, component positive expression showed the exact opposite pattern of relations. Full-face positive expression was positively correlated with Extraversion and Openness to Experience. These findings indicate that full-face and component expressions may index different intensities of emotions. Emotion expression and personality relations were not mediated by the security of attachment continuum or the emotional reactivity dichotomy derived from the attachment subclassifications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

More reasons to adopt the five-factor model.

The authors (see record 1987-01218-001) respond to comments by M. M. Dachowski (see record 1988-04372-001) and N. G. Waller and Y. S. Ben-Porath (see record 1988-04405-001) on their 5-factor (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness) model of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Big Five personality dimensions and entrepreneurial status: A meta-analytical review.

In this study, the authors used meta-analytical techniques to examine the relationship between personality and entrepreneurial status. Personality variables used in previous studies were categorized according to the five-factor model of personality. Results indicate significant differences between entrepreneurs and managers on 4 personality dimensions such that entrepreneurs scored higher on Conscientiousness and Openness to Experience and lower on Neuroticism and Agreeableness. No difference was found for Extraversion. Effect sizes for each personality dimension were small, although the multivariate relationship for the full set of personality variables was moderate (R = .37). Considerable heterogeneity existed for all of the personality variables except Agreeableness, suggesting that future research should explore possible moderators of the personality-entrepreneurial status relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Updating Norman's "adequacy taxonomy": Intelligence and personality dimensions in natural language and in questionnaires.

Examined the correspondence between 2 systems for personality trait classification—W. T. Norman's (1963) 5-factor model and P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae's (1980) NEO (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness) inventory—to evaluate their comprehensiveness as models of personality. 498 24–86 yr old participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging completed an instrument containing 80 adjective pairs, which included 40 pairs proposed to measure the 5 dimensions. Neuroticism and extraversion factors from these items showed substantial correlations with corresponding NEO inventory scales; however, analyses that included psychometric measures of intelligence suggested that the 5th factor in the Norman structure should be reconceptualized as openness to experience. Convergent correlations above .50 with spouse ratings on the NEO inventory that were made 3 yrs earlier confirmed these relations across time, instrument, and source of data. The relations among culture, conscientiousness, openness, and intelligence are discussed, and it is concluded that mental ability is a separate factor, though related to openness to experience. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cohort differences in Big Five personality factors over a period of 25 years.

The notion of personality traits implies a certain degree of stability in the life span of an individual. But what about generational effects? Are there generational changes in the distribution or structure of personality traits? This article examines cohort changes on the Big Five personality factors Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience, among first-year psychology students in the Netherlands, ages 18 to 25 years, between 1982 and 2007. Because measurement invariance of a personality test is essential for a sound interpretation of cohort differences in personality, we first assessed measurement invariance with respect to cohort for males and females separately on the Big Five personality factors, as measured by the Dutch instrument Five Personality Factors Test. Results identified 11 (females) and 2 (males) biased items with respect to cohort, out of a total of 70 items. Analyzing the unbiased items, results indicated small linear increases over time in Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness and small linear decreases over time in Neuroticism. No clear patterns were found on the Openness to Experience factor. Secondary analyses on students from 1971 to 2007 of females and males of different ages together revealed linear trends comparable to those in the main analyses among young adults between 1982 onward. The results imply that the broad sociocultural context may affect personality factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality trait development from age 12 to age 18: Longitudinal, cross-sectional and cross-cultural analyses.

Three studies were conducted to assess mean level changes in personality traits during adolescence. Versions of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (P. T. Costa, Jr., & R. R. McCrae, 1992a) were used to assess the 5 major personality factors. A 4-year longitudinal study of intellectually gifted students (N = 230) was supplemented by cross-sectional studies of nonselected American (N = 1,959) and Flemish (N = 789) adolescents. Personality factors were reasonably invariant across ages, although rank-order stability of individual differences was low. Neuroticism appeared to increase in girls, and Openness to Experience increased in both boys and girls; mean levels of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were stable. Results extend knowledge of the developmental curve of penalty traits backward from adulthood and help bridge the gap with child temperament studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Five-factor model personality traits and the retirement transition: Longitudinal and cross-sectional associations.

The authors examined associations between 5-factor personality traits and retirement in a diverse community sample. Longitudinal analyses (n = 367) compared personality trajectories of participants who remained employed and participants who retired. Personality at baseline did not predict future retirement, but compared to participants who remained employed, retirees increased in Agreeableness and decreased in Activity, a facet of Extraversion. In cross-sectional analyses among retirees (n = 144), those low in Neuroticism and high in Extraversion reported higher retirement satisfaction, and those high in Extraversion reported higher postretirement activity levels. Findings suggest that the trait perspective contributes to the understanding of the retirement process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impressions of Personality in Parkinson's Disease: Can Rehabilitation Practitioners See Beyond the Symptoms?

Objective: To explore rehabilitation practitioners' use of observable cues of personality to form accurate impressions of persons with Parkinson's disease. Participants: Ninety-nine practitioners from disciplines of occupational, physical, and speech therapy and nursing and medicine. Procedure: Participants viewed excerpts of videotaped interviews of 6 men and 6 women with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease and formed impressions of the targets' personality. Main Outcome Measure: NEO Five Factor Inventory personality test. Analysis: Brunswik lens model correlational analysis of the associations between expressive behavior and personality judgments. Results: Practitioners were accurate in judging Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness but were unable to detect interparticipant differences in levels of Extraversion and Neuroticism. Conclusion: Accuracy in judging some traits suggests that future research may identify interventions, such as sensitizing practitioners to valid behavioral cues or modifying contextual features, to maximize a practitioner's ability to understand a client's personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and cognitive ability predictors of performance in graduate business school.

A cross-validation study is reported in which both personality variables and cognitive ability variables were evaluated as predictors of 2 separate performance criteria in a sample of 450 Master of Business Administration students. Whereas verbal and quantitative aptitudes of the students were found to be strong predictors of performance at written work, they were weak predictors of an in-class performance criterion. The opposite was true when specific personality trait variables were used as predictors. The personality characteristics of the students predicted classroom performance better than they predicted written performance. The Big Five factors of personality (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience) did not predict either criterion consistently. In conclusion, personality variables are related to academic success when characteristic modes of behavior play a role in academic performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term correlated change in personality traits in old age.

The present study examines long-term correlated change in personality traits in old age across a time period of 12 years. Data from the Interdisciplinary Study on Adult Development were used to investigate different aspects of personality change and stability. The sample consisted of 300 adults ranging from 60 to 64 years of age at Time 1. Personality was measured with the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Longitudinal structural stability, differential stability, change in interindividual differences, mean-level change, and correlated change of the 5 personality traits were examined utilizing structural equation modeling. After having established strict measurement invariance, factor variances in Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness were found to be different across testing occasions, implying variant covariation patterns over time. Stability coefficients were around .70, indicating high but not perfect differential stability. The amount of interindividual differences increased with respect to Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness. Both mean-level change and stability in personality were observed. Eventually, except for Neuroticism, a number of medium effect-sized correlations among changes in personality traits emerged, implying that personality changes share a substantial amount of commonality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short-term stability of NEO–PI–R personality trait scores in opioid-dependent outpatients.

The present study examined the short-term stability of personality trait scores from the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO–PI-R) among 230 opioid-dependent outpatients. The NEO–PI-R is a 240-item empirically developed measure of the five-factor model of personality (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness). Participants completed the NEO–Pl-R at admission and again approximately 19 weeks later. Results indicated fair to good stability for all NEO–PI-R factor domain scores, with coefficients ranging from .68 to .74. Stability of NEO–PI-R scores was decreased among potentially invalid response patterns but was not significantly affected by drug-positive versus drug-negative status at follow-up. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relating the Tellegen and five-factor models of personality structure.

With 575 college students, the relationship between A. Tellegen's (1985) personality model, assessed with the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), and the Big Five model, operationalized by P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae's (1985) NEO Personality Inventory, was investigated. Correlations and joint factor analyses indicated that the MPQ constructs could be well-organized under the Big Five model, and the NEO constructs could be well-organized under the Tellegen higher-order dimensions (plus Absorption). Tellegen's higher-order dimensions relate to components of the Big Five hierarchically: Negative Emotionality encompasses Big Five Neuroticism and Agreeableness, Positive Emotionality encompasses Extraversion and the surgent aspect of Conscientiousness, and Constraint encompasses the controlled aspect of Conscientiousness and much of Openness to Experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analysis.

This study was a meta-analysis of the relationship between personality and ratings of transformational and transactional leadership behaviors. Using the 5-factor model of personality as an organizing framework, the authors accumulated 384 correlations from 26 independent studies. Personality traits were related to 3 dimensions of transformational leadership--idealized influence-inspirational motivation (charisma), intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration--and 3 dimensions of transactional leadership--contingent reward, management by exception-active, and passive leadership. Extraversion was the strongest and most consistent correlate of transformational leadership. Although results provided some support for the dispositional basis of transformational leadership--especially with respect to the charisma dimension--generally, weak associations suggested the importance of future research to focus on both narrower personality traits and nondispositional determinants of transformational and transactional leadership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality–relationship transaction in young adulthood.

Personality and social relationships were assessed twice across a 4-year period in a general population sample of 489 German young adults. Two kinds of personality–relationship transaction were observed. First, mean-level change in personality toward maturity (e.g., increase in Conscientiousness and decrease in Neuroticism) was moderated by the transition to partnership but was independent of other developmental transitions. Second, individual differences in personality traits predicted social relationships much better than vice versa. Specifically, once initial correlations were controlled for, Extraversion, Shyness, Neuroticism, self-esteem, and Agreeableness predicted change in various qualities of relationships (especially with friends and colleagues), whereas only quality of relationships with preschool children predicted later Extraversion and Neuroticism. Consequences for the transactional view of personality in young adulthood are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cortical atrophy and personality in multiple sclerosis.

Although the cognitive disorder of multiple sclerosis (MS) is well characterized, little is known about personality changes that may occur in this disease. There are reliable personality tests available for research in neurological disease, based on the well-known Five Factor Model. Preliminary research suggests that cognitively impaired MS patients exhibit elevation in Neuroticism, and diminution in Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness, as do patients with Alzheimer's disease. We predicted that these characteristics would be associated with lower neocortical volume. We studied 44 patients using brain MRI and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Regression models controlling for T2 lesion volume, depression, and cognitive dysfunction revealed significant correlation between cortical atrophy and reduction in Extraversion and Conscientiousness. Discrepancies between patient- and informant-reports were found, and overreporting of high Openness and Conscientiousness among patients was associated with lower neocortical volume. A final regression model accounting for depression, cognitive function, and personality accounted for 38% of the variance in neocortical volume. These findings suggest that cortical atrophy in MS is associated with adverse impact on personality, although longitudinal research is needed to test this hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The stability of personality traits in individuals with borderline personality disorder.

Although stability and pervasive inflexibility are general criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) personality disorders (PDs), borderline PD (BPD) is characterized by instability in several domains, including interpersonal behavior, affect, and identity. The authors hypothesized that such inconsistencies notable in BPD may relate to instability at the level of the basic personality traits that are associated with this disorder. Five types of personality trait stability across 4 assessments over 6 years were compared for BPD patients (N = 130 at first interval) and patients with other PDs (N = 302). Structural stability did not differ across groups. Differential stability tended to be lower for 5-factor model (FFM) traits in the BPD group, with the strongest and most consistent effects observed for Neuroticism and Conscientiousness. Growth curve models suggested that these 2 traits also showed greater mean-level change, with Neuroticism declining faster and Conscientiousness increasing faster, in the BPD group. The BPD group was further characterized by greater individual-level instability for Neuroticism and Conscientiousness in these models. Finally, the BPD group was less stable in terms of the ipsative configuration of FFM facet-level profiles than was the other PD group over time. Results point to the importance of personality trait instability in characterizing BPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)