Research Feed

A curated collection of research papers and articles exploring the Big Five personality traits.

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion
Inspiration: Core Characteristics, Component Processes, Antecedents, and Function
Thrash & Elliot · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2004

Research defines inspiration as a tripartite state consisting of evocation, transcendence, and motivation. It involves two distinct processes: being inspired by an idea and being inspired to act. Unlike positive affect, which is triggered by rewards and focuses on acquisition, inspiration is spar...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Lucid dreaming frequency and personality
Schredl & Erlacher · Personality and Individual Differences · January 2004

Research indicates that while lucid dreaming is a common phenomenon (reported by 82% of students) it has a surprisingly weak direct link to major personality traits. The study found no significant association with Introversion or Neuroticism, refuting theories that link lucidity to specific level...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
A Behavioral Genetic Study of the Overlap Between Personality and Parenting
Spinath & O'Connor · Journal of Personality · August 2003

This twin study reveals that while parental personality and caregiving styles share a modest connection, their association is primarily driven by nongenetic factors. Although parenting dimensions themselves show moderate genetic influence, the overlap with personality traits stems from environmen...

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion Agreeableness
Meta-analysis of the relationship between the five-factor model of personality and Holland's occupational types
Barrick et al. · Personnel Psychology · January 2003

This study examines the connection between the Big Five personality traits and Holland’s RIASEC occupational types. The findings reveal that while these models overlap, they measure distinct aspects of an individual. The strongest links exist between Enterprising roles and Extraversion, as well a...

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion Agreeableness
Meta-analyses of Big Six interests and Big Five personality factors
Larson et al. · Journal of Vocational Behavior · January 2002

This meta-analysis identifies robust links between Holland’s Big Six vocational interests and the Big Five personality domains. The strongest connections include Artistic with Openness (r=.48), Enterprising with Extraversion (r=.41), and Social with Extraversion (r=.31). These findings indicate t...

RESEARCH
Openness
Right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation and personality: An analysis using the IPIP measure
Heaven & Bucci · European Journal of Personality · January 2001

This study of 220 undergraduates confirms that Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) stem from distinct personality foundations. While both predict prejudice, they reflect different psychological profiles: RWA typically aligns with high Conscientiousness and low...

RESEARCH
Openness
Isms and the structure of social attitudes
Saucier · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · January 2000

This study identifies 'isms' as the foundational building blocks for measuring social attitudes, revealing a distinct structure of individual differences. A primary three-factor model emerged, with Conservatism and Authoritarianism functioning as major subcomponents of the largest factor. Notably...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion
Is acculturation unidimensional or bidimensional? A head-to-head comparison in the prediction of personality, self-identity, and adjustment
Ryder et al. · Journal of personality and social psychology · January 2000

This research supports the bidimensional model of acculturation, arguing that maintaining one's heritage culture and adopting a mainstream culture are independent processes rather than opposites. While the unidimensional view suggests an inverse relationship, data from diverse ethnic samples show...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
Spirituality: Description, Measurement, and Relation to the Five Factor Model of Personality
MacDonald, D.A. · Journal of Personality · January 2000

This research identifies five robust dimensions of spirituality that constitute the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI): Cognitive Orientation, Experiential/Phenomenological, Existential Well-Being, Paranormal Beliefs, and Religiousness. While these dimensions correlate differentially wit...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Identity Consolidation in Early Adulthood: Relations with Ego-Resiliency, the Context of Marriage, and Personality Change
Pals · Journal of Personality. · January 1999

Successful identity consolidation involves committing to adult roles and constructing a coherent sense of self. Research on women shows that ego-resiliency at age 21 predicts better identity outcomes by age 27, a process often mediated by the quality of their experience in marriage. Notably, achi...

RESEARCH
Openness Neuroticism
Intelligence, personality, and interests: Evidence for overlapping traits
Ackerman & Heggestad · Psychological Bulletin · January 1997

This study explores how intelligence, personality, and vocational interests overlap. It distinguishes between intelligence as 'maximal performance' (testing well) and 'typical performance' (everyday thinking). By analyzing these connections, the researchers identified four 'trait complexes'—socia...

RESEARCH
Openness Extraversion Neuroticism
Relationship between the Five Factor model of personality and Axis I disorders in a nonclinical sample
Trull T.J. & Sher K.J., · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · January 1994

This study confirms the Five-Factor Model (FFM) effectively distinguishes individuals with Axis I disorders from those without. Across 468 young adults, personality dimensions provided unique diagnostic insights, even when accounting for general psychopathological symptoms. These findings highlig...

RESEARCH
Openness Conscientiousness
Identity, self, and personality: I. Identity status and the five-factor model of personality
Clancy & Dollinger · Journal of Research on Adolescence · January 1993

This study connects James Marcia’s four identity statuses—Achievement, Foreclosure, Moratorium, and Diffusion—to the Big Five traits. Researchers found that Identity Achievers exhibit high Conscientiousness and Extraversion with low Neuroticism. Conversely, Foreclosure correlates with low Opennes...