Higher-order factors of the Big Six – Similarities between Big Twos identified above the Big Five and the Big Six

Abstract

A substantial body of evidence has identified higher-order factors above the five basic dimensions of personality known as the Big Five. Indeed, two higher-order factors, and also one General Factor of Personality (GFP), have been found in many studies in data collected by using instruments intended to measure the Big Five in the Five-Factor Model (FFM) framework. To date, however, there is a lack of studies that apply the methodology for identifying higher-order factors of the Big Five/FFM to the Big Six/HEXACO model, even though the latter is currently deemed a serious alternative to the former. The goal of the presented studies was to fill this gap. Namely, we tested whether similar higher-order factors to those identified above the Big Five/FFM can be found above the Big Six/HEXACO basic personality traits by applying analytical methods elaborated within the Big Five/FFM framework. We conducted two studies: one with 805 participants, and another with 502 respondents, using three different Big Six/HEXACO measures and three Big Five/FFM measures. The obtained results suggest the existence of two higher-order factors in the Big Six/HEXACO, similar to those found in the Big Five/FFM, and indicate no presence of the GFP in the former.