A General Factor of Personality in 16 sets of the Big Five, the Guilford–Zimmerman Temperament Survey, the California Psychological Inventory, and the Temperament and Character Inventory

Abstract

In four studies, we tested the hypothesis that a General Factor of Personality (GFP) occupies the apex of the hierarchy. In Study 1, a GFP was found in 16 sets of Big Five inter-scale correlations ( N = 6412) which explained 54% of the variance in the two first-order factors. In Study 2, a GFP was found in validation samples from the Guilford–Zimmerman Temperament Survey ( N = 2917) which explained 36% of the variance in three first-order factors and 21% of the total reliable variance in a model that went from 10 primary traits to 3 higher-order traits to the GFP. In Study 3, a GFP was found in a validation sample of the California Psychological Inventory ( N = 6000) which explained 35% of the variance in two second-order factors, 17% of the variance in six first-order factors, and 20% of the total reliable variance in 20 primary traits. In Study 4, a GFP was found in two validation samples of the Temperament and Character Inventory ( N = 1285) which explained 49% of the variance in three first-order factors and 24% of the total reliable variance in a model that went from 7 primary traits to 3 higher-order traits to the GFP.