Title
Comparison of two methods to identify major personality factors
Abstract
Both Howarth and Comrey have developed taxonomies
of personality traits and inventories to measure
them. The Howarth Personality Questionnaire and Additional
Personality Factor inventories include 20 factors,
whereas the Comrey Personality Scales (CPS)
taxonomy includes eight factors. Howarth identified
his factors through factor analysis of items, whereas
Comrey identified his primary level factors through
factor analysis of conceptually distinct clusters of homogeneous
items, called Factored Homogeneous Item
Dimensions (FHIDs), while avoiding the inclusion of
highly redundant variables in the same analysis. Data
for all three inventories were collected from the same
subjects and factor analyzed. The Howarth factor
scales were narrower in content and more highly overlapping
than the CPS factor scales. Most of the Howarth
factor scales were good marker variables for the
CPS primary factors. Five CPS factors had major
loadings for more than one of the Howarth factor
scales. The CPS Emotional Stability vs. Neuroticism
(S) primary level factor was split into several lower
level factors in the Howarth system. Factor analysis of
items is recommended to identify FHIDs. Factor analysis
of FHIDs, in which no two FHIDs are merely alternate
forms of the same conceptual variable, is recommended
to identify the major primary factors of
personality.
Identifiers
other: doi:10.1177/014662168400800404
Previously Published Citation
Comrey, Andrew L. (1984). Comparison of two methods to identify major personality factors. Applied Psychological Measurement, 8, 397-408. doi:10.1177/014662168400800404
Suggested Citation
Comrey, Andrew L..
(1984).
Comparison of two methods to identify major personality factors.
Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy,
https://hdl.handle.net/11299/101955.