Five-Factor Personality Inventory

Abstract

The Five-Part Personality Inventory, developed by S. B. G. Eysenck in 1960, is a psychological instrument designed to investigate the relationship between specific personality traits and demographic variables such as social class and sex. This inventory consists of 29 items utilizing a dichotomous yes/no format, drawing content from various established personality scales available at the time. The scale aims to measure five distinct dimensions: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Rigidity, Emotionality, and Nervousness. Initial Factor Analysis confirmed the presence of five factors, accounting for 63% of the total variance, although only three core dimensions—Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Rigidity—were identified with high confidence.

Keywords

Five-Part Personality Inventory, Eysenck, 1960, Personality Traits, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Rigidity, Emotionality, Nervousness, Test Development, Factor Structure, Social Class.

Authors

Eysenck, S. B. G.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Five-Part Personality Inventory is the quantitative assessment of five specific psychological dimensions. These traits—rigidity, emotionality, nervousness, neuroticism, and extraversion—were chosen to facilitate research into how individual differences in personality relate to broader sociological variables, particularly focusing on differences observed across social classes and between sexes within the English population.

The inventory was specifically constructed to provide a standardized tool for correlating personality data with socio-demographic characteristics, contributing to the understanding of environmental and social influences on psychological profiles. The dichotomous format was chosen for ease of administration, particularly in an interview setting.

Construct

The core construct measured by the inventory is Personality Traits, defined as enduring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior that distinguish individuals. The inventory specifically targets five dimensions:

• Rigidity: Measures inflexibility, resistance to modification of existing plans, and adherence to duty before pleasure.
• Emotionality: Reflects the degree to which an individual easily expresses strong emotions (sympathy, anger, sorrow) and may regret actions taken while emotional.
• Nervousness: Assesses characteristics such as being easily startled, difficulty relaxing, and exhibiting nervous habits.
• Neuroticism: Reflects general emotional instability, moodiness, difficulties with concentration, and frequent, unexplained mood fluctuations.
• Extraversion: Characterized by sociability, a preference for rapid action over planning, taking the initiative in making friends, and needing numerous social contacts.

Validity

The validity of the Five-Part Personality Inventory was primarily assessed through the analysis of its internal factor structure. The initial Factor Analysis successfully extracted five factors, which collectively accounted for 63% of the observed variance in the responses, suggesting the questionnaire taps into multiple distinct psychological dimensions.

The study reported that three of the intended dimensions—Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Rigidity—were clearly and confidently identified as distinct factors, providing evidence for the construct validity of those subscales. However, the remaining two factors, corresponding to Nervousness and Emotionality, demonstrated less clear delineation and were labeled with lower confidence, indicating potential issues regarding the discriminant validity of these specific traits within the scale.

Reliability

In the initial publication detailing the development and application of the Five-Part Personality Inventory (Eysenck, 1960), explicit statistical measures of reliability, such as measures of internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) or temporal stability (e.g., test-retest coefficients), were not provided or indicated. Therefore, the psychometric stability and consistency of the 29 items remain undocumented in the foundational literature.

Factor Analysis

The psychometric development of the inventory relied heavily on Factor Analysis to confirm that the items grouped according to the intended five theoretical traits. The analysis successfully identified five latent factors, cumulatively explaining 63% of the total response variance, which is a substantial percentage for personality data.

The factor loadings demonstrated strong alignment for the scales measuring Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Rigidity. The weaker factor loadings and less confident identification of the factors related to Nervousness and Emotionality suggest that these two constructs may require further refinement or potentially overlap significantly with the higher-order factors of Neuroticism and Extraversion, respectively.

Instrument

Test Type: Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: 29 items utilizing a dichotomous response format (Yes/No). The questions were derived from existing personality inventories.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Typically administered to adults, consistent with personality research conducted on general population samples in 1960.

Population Details: The initial sample consisted of individuals drawn from the English population for the scale development and validation study.

Test Methodology: The scale was administered via a structured Interview, contrasting with modern self-report questionnaires.

Keywords

Psychological Inventory, Dichotomous Scale, Interview Administration, Eysenck, 1960, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Rigidity, Emotional Stability, Test Location 1960-07381-001.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1960

The original publication of the scale items occurred in 1960 within an academic journal. Information regarding modern usage permissions and associated fees is not provided in the original publication abstract. Researchers should consult the publisher of the original journal article (Educational and Psychological Measurement) for current licensing and usage rights.

Reference’s

Eysenck, S. B. G. (1960). Social class, sex, and response to a five-part personality inventory. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 20, 47-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/001316446002000105

The instrument is also indexed under DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/t21140-000.

Items of the Five-Part Personality Inventory

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way. Note that items 1 and 2 are demographic variables, while items 3 through 31 constitute the 29 personality items.