3 OR 5 PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS - AN ANALYSIS OF NATURAL-LANGUAGE TERMS IN 2 CULTURES

We report the results of two studies into the structure and correlates of personality. In study one, English natural language terms (John, 1990) were administered to Australian (N = 186) and African (N = 230) undergraduates. Neither the Eysenckian nor Big Five dimensions were uncovered among the African sample. Although a three-component solution was compatible with the Eysenckian position (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1985) among the Australian undergraduates, a five-component solution best reflected the data yielding the following dimensions: I = C; II = E; III = N; IV = A; V = O. In the second study conducted among Australian undergraduates (N = 130), the five adjective-derived dimensions were correlated with markers from the revised EPQ and NEO inventories. Results of a principal components analysis were found to be compatible with the notion of the ''Big Five'' in personality. The findings are briefly discussed with reference to previous research.