Cattells 16 Personality Factors

Cattells 16 Personality Factors Theories Personality Psychology Print Cattells 16 Personality Factors By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Reviewed by Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW on November 26, 2019 facebook twitter instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, author of the bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Dont Do, and a highly sought-after speaker. Learn about our Wellness Board Amy Morin, LCSW on November 26, 2019 Plume Creative / Digital Vision / Getty Images More in Theories Personality Psychology Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Behavioral Psychology Cognitive Psychology Developmental Psychology Social Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology People have long struggled to understand personality and numerous theories have been developed to explain how personality develops and how it influences behavior. One such theory was proposed by a psychologist named Raymond Cattell. He created a taxonomy of 16 different personality traits that could be used to describe and explain individual differences between peoples personalities. Cattrells personality factors have been included in the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)  that is widely used today. It is used for career counseling in education and vocational guidance. In business, it is used in personnel selection, especially for choosing managers. It is also used in clinical diagnosis and to plan therapy by assessing anxiety, adjustment, and behavioral problems. Raymond Cattrell Born in 1905, Cattell witnessed the advent of many 20th-century inventions such as electricity, telephones, cars, and airplanes. He was inspired by these innovations and was eager to apply the scientific methods used to make such discoveries to the human mind and personality. Personality, he believed, was not just some unknowable and untestable mystery. It was something that could be studied and organized. Through scientific study, human characteristics and behaviors could then be predicted based on underlying personality traits. Cattell had worked with psychologist Charles Spearman, who was known for his pioneering work in statistics. Cattell would later use the factor analysis techniques developed by Spearman to create his own personality taxonomy. The Trait Approach to Personality Psychologists have long debated exactly how personality should be defined and described. One of these key ideas is known as the trait theory of personality. According to trait theory, human personality is composed of a number of broad traits or dispositions. Some of the earliest of these trait theories attempted to describe every single trait that might possibly exist. For example, psychologist Gordon Allport identified more than 4,000 words in the English language that could be used to describe personality traits. While this approach was good at identifying different types of traits, it is unwieldy and difficult to infer meaning. Many of these traits, for example, are highly similar, making it difficult to distinguish some traits from others. Such ambiguity also makes it difficult to study these personality traits. The 16 Personality Factors Later, Raymond Cattell analyzed this list and whittled it down to 171 characteristics, mostly by eliminating terms that were redundant or uncommon. He was then able to use a statistical technique known as factor analysis to identify traits that are related to one another. Factor analysis can be used to look at enormous amounts of data in order to look for trends and to see which elements are the most influential or important. By using this method, he was able to whittle his list to 16 key personality factors. According to Cattell, there is a continuum of personality traits. In other words, each person contains all of these 16 traits to a certain degree, but they might be high in some traits and low in others. While all people have some degree of abstractedness, for example, some people might be very imaginative while others are very practical. The following personality trait list describes some of the descriptive terms used for each of the 16 personality dimensions described by Cattell. Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practicalApprehension: Worried versus confidentDominance: Forceful versus submissiveEmotional Stability: Calm versus high-strungLiveliness: Spontaneous versus restrainedOpenness to Change: Flexible versus attached to the familiarPerfectionism: Controlled versus undisciplinedPrivateness: Discreet versus openReasoning: Abstract versus concreteRule-Consciousness: Conforming versus non-conformingSelf-Reliance: Self-sufficient versus dependentSensitivity: Tender-hearted versus tough-minded.Social Boldness: Uninhibited versus shyTension: Inpatient versus relaxedVigilance: Suspicious versus trustingWarmth: Outgoing versus reserved The 16PF Personality Questionnaire Cattell also developed an assessment based on these 16 personality factors. The test is known as the 16 PF Personality Questionnaire and is still frequently used today, especially in career  counseling, marital counseling, and in business for employee testing and selection. The test is composed of forced-choice questions in which the respondent must choose one of three different alternatives. Personality traits are then represented by a range and the individuals score falls somewhere on the continuum between highest and lowest extremes. The pencil and paper version of the test takes around 35 to 50 minutes to complete, while the computer version of the questionnaire takes around 30 minutes. Once complete, the scores can be interpreted using a number of different systems, depending upon why the test is being used. Some interpretive reports take a clinical approach looking at personality, while others are more focused on topics such as career selection, teamwork development, and leadership potential. A number of studies have supported the tests validity, including its use in career development and personality assessment. A free version of the 16PF Questionnaire is available online through the Open-Source Psychometrics Project. The test is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice or medical diagnosis. Talk to a mental health provider or career testing service to have a professional administer the test and interpret your results.