A COMPARISON OF 3 STRUCTURAL MODELS FOR PERSONALITY - THE BIG 3, THE BIG 5, AND THE ALTERNATIVE 5

The major factors from 3 models of personality are compared: Eysenck's Three Factor model, Costa and McCrae's version of the Big Five, and Zuckerman and Kuhlman's Alternative Five. The 1st study describes the development of a questionnaire measure for the Alternative Five and the reliability assessments of the scales. The 2nd study used factor analysis to compare the factors among the scales from the 3 models. Extraversion and Neuroticism were quite similar across all 3 models. Eysenck's Psychoticism scale marked a factor that included Conscientiousness and Impulsive Sensation Seeking factors from the other 2 models. Agreeableness and Aggression-Hostility formed a 4th factor. Openness could be identified as a factor using facet scales, but it showed no convergence with other factors. Four of the 5 factors showed convergence across at least 2 of the models.