People have long been interested in understanding humanpersonality.
As a result, numeroustheorieshave been developed to explain how personality develops and influences behavior.
The Trait Approach to Personality
Psychologists have long debated exactly how personality should be defined and described.
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One of these key ideas is known as thetrait theory of personality.
According to trait theory, human personality is composed of a number of broad traits or dispositions.
Some of the earliest trait theories attempted to describe every trait that could possibly exist.
For example, psychologistGordon Allportidentified more than 4,000 words in the English language that describe personality traits.
Although this broad approach identified traits well, it’s unwieldy, ambiguous, and difficult to use.
For example, many traits are very similar and, therefore, difficult to distinguish.
Cattell viewedpersonality traitson a continuum.
Some researchers believe these 16 factors can be further reduced in number.
Thefive-factor modelis one example.
The score is expressed in a range and falls between the highest and lowest extremes.
Researchers use various systems to interpret scores, depending on the test’s purpose.
Research has supported the test’s validity, including its use in career development and personality assessment.
Afree versionof the 16PF Questionnaire is available online through the Open-Source Psychometrics Project.
The test is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice or medical diagnosis.
Other Personality Tests
Although they test somewhat varying traits, similar personality assessments are available.
Personality, he believed, was not just some unknowable and untestable mystery.
It could be studied, organized, and sometimes predicted based on underlying personality traits.
Test Interpretation
The 16PF Questionnaire takes approximately 30 to 50 minutes.
A score below four is considered low and above seven, high.
The context, interaction, and overall score also figure into the scores on each factor.
High and low scores aren’t “good” or “bad.”
A scoring guide is necessary to determine what your score indicates.
A Word From Verywell
The 16 Factors of Personality is one example of the trait approach.
According to trait theory, human personality comprises many traits in unique combinations.
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Fleeson W, Jayawickreme E.Whole trait theory.J Res Pers.
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In: Dorfman WI, Hersen M, eds.Understanding Psychological Assessment.
Springer US; 2001:187-215. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-1185-4_10
PSI.16PF Comprehensive Insights Report.
