Cross-cultural comparisons of personality: Finland and England

Abstract

The EPQ translated into Finnish was completed by 501 males and 448 females. Factor comparisons, on the EPQ, all exceeded 0.96, so that factors Psychoticism (P), Extraversion (E), Neuroticism (N) and Social Desirability (L) were deemed to be identical in Finland and England. Sex differences were in line with the usual results, i.e. males scoring higher than females on P and E but lower on N and Social Desirability. Reliabilities (alpha coefficients) were satisfactorily high, except perhaps that for females on Psychoticism. National differences on these personality variables were barely significant for P (Finnish Ss scoring slightly higher than the English). Both sexes in Finland scored higher on E than their English counterparts, Finnish females scored lower on N and Finnish males lower on Social Desirability. The same Ss also completed the Zuckerman Sensation Seeking (SS) Scales (form V). Factor comparisons between Finnish males and females were high for Thrill and Adventure Seeking and Experience Seeking, but low for Disinhibition and Boredom Susceptibility. Reliabilities (alpha coefficients) were high for Thrill and Adventure Seeking and Disinhibition but low for the other two scales. Intercorelations of EPQ and SS scales are presented, and were, in the expected direction, i.e. total SS scale was highly correlated with P,E and negatively with L (Social Desirability) but not at all with N. Disinhibition aligned with P and E and Thrill and Adventure Seeking mainly with E.