A critical analysis of Cattell's model of personality

Abstract

The personality theory expounded by R. B. Cattell and his collaborators is one of the most influential models of personality in modern-day psychology. The central and most controversial elements of this theory are the sixteen primary source traits, which make up the model. This thesis describes research into the primary source traits as represented by Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionaire (16FF). From the responses of a large sample of general population British adults (N: ≈ 2,000) evidence is presented to suggest that: - 1. inconsistencies exist between the relationships of Cattell's personality scales with variables such as age and social class and the relationships postulated from his model. 2. the precision of measurement afforded by certain scales is extremely low, especially in lower social class subjects. 3. the model as represented in the scales of the 16PF is untenable in terms of its internal consistency. 4. Cattell's personality scales are not in fact the most parsimonious description of the personality domain.