Toward the Development of Quasi-Indigenous Personality Constructs

Abstract

Can the Big Five be recovered in Spanish? Several recent cross-cultural studies indicate that imported (i.e., translated) Big Five measures replicate in Spanish but that existing indigenous Spanish personality taxonomies map only partially onto the Big Five domain. This article outlines a complementary midlevel approach that involves identifying a quasi-indigenous Spanish Big Five taxonomy, namely, a manageable set of indigenous Spanish (Castilian) personality descriptors that reliably measure the Big Five using local, culturally relevant terms. Results from the present study support the reliability, factorial robustness, and construct validity of the resulting quasi-indigenous Spanish Big Five scales defined by the Castilian markers. Results also suggest that humor, good nature, and unconventionality may be particularly salient aspects of personality description in Spain.