Advances in the Assessment of the Five-Factor Model

Abstract

Recent developments in the assessment of the Big Five and the Five-Factor Model (FFM) are reviewed. These are centred on six themes, including the conceptual status of traits, the validity of the lexical hypothesis as a starting point to examine the main factors of personality, the developmental status of the Big Five, the organisation of traits at the lower level, the predictive validity of personality measures, and finally the bandwidth-fidelity dilemma. Criticisms and developments are discussed from an assessment point of view, examining how the rationale behind the construction of new inventories such as the Five Factor Personality Inventory (FFPI; Hendriks, Hofstee, & De Raad, 1999) and the Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children (HiPIC; Mervielde & De Fruyt, 1999) helps to clarify and (partially) answer previously identified problems. The review concludes with a discussion of the future agenda for personality assessment.