Hell, we are all the same!

Posted by Ricki Sharpe on September 13, 2007  
Filed Under Personality

We all recognise that there are consistent differences among people we know well. For instance, some people are more outgoing than others, some are more organised than others, and some are more independent. For most people, these personality traits or behavioural characteristics are consistent both over time and over many situations. Despite widespread general agreement that this is so, until recently psychologists have not agreed on the number and nature of these traits or characteristics. But this is no longer the case.

The research evidence, which is both extensive and rigorous, strongly supports the position that there are five consistent and independent traits that are relatively stable over time. Many commercially available personality inventories used for pre-employment screening are based on this five-factor model, which identifies five personality dimensions easily recalled with various mnemonics.

ocean mnemonic clues mnemonic
  • Openness (to experience)
  • Conscientiousness
  • Extraversion
  • Agreeableness
  • Neuroticism
  • Conscientious
  • Likeable
  • Unconventional
  • Extroverted
  • Stable

These five independent traits are regularly identified in research regardless of the instruments or the observers used. Not only are they stable over time, they are uninfluenced by gender, age, or education.

While some differences sometimes appear among different races, they are very slight. In a recent study, Rossier et al., (2007) analysed the consistency of the five factor model across different cultures. Their total sample was made up of 9,152 subjects from six countries: China, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. The internal consistencies for all countries were generally similar and factor analyses within cultures showed that the normative American structure was replicated in all cultures. The mean score differences across countries were very small.

Overall, there is little likelihood of any adverse impact from the use of personality scales based on the Big Five Factors in pre-employment screening.

References

Rossier, J., Aluja, A., Garcia, L.F., Angleitner, A., De Pascalis, V., Wang, W., Kuhlman, M., Zuckerman, M. (2007). The Cross-Cultural Generalizability of Zuckerman’s Alternative Five-Factor Model of Personality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 89, 188-196.


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