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Alternative Five Factor Model

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67 views10 pages

Alternative Five Factor Model

Uploaded by

Khushboo
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Alternative Five Factor Model

Introduction:
The alternative five model of personality is based on the claim that
the structure of human personality traits is best explained by five broad factors
called impulsive sensation seeking (ImpSS), neuroticism–anxiety (N-Anx),
aggression–hostility (Agg-Host), sociability (Sy), and activity (Act). The model was
developed by Marvin Zuckerman and colleagues as a rival to the well-known
Five factor model of personality traits and is based on the assumption that "basic"
personality traits are those with a strong biological-evolutionary basis.
The Alternative Five Factor Model
The aim of Zuckerman and colleagues in developing the alternative five model was to identify the
"basic" factors of personality. Zuckerman argued that basic factors have a biological-evolutionary
basis as evidenced by comparable traits in non-human species, biological markers, and moderate
heritability.

The model was developed by administering research participants a large number of pre-existing
personality questionnaires and subjecting the results to factor analysis.

Markers of 'culture', 'intellect', and 'openness' were deliberately excluded on the basis that these
traits are not present in non-human species. The researchers compared models with three to seven
different factors. They found that both three and five factor solutions were acceptable, but argued
that the five-factor solution was preferable due to greater specificity.
• Nature of the five factors

• Neuroticism–anxiety: measures anxiety, fear, general emotionality, psychasthenia, and inhibition


of aggression. The factor is also associated with obsessive indecisiveness, lack of self-confidence,
and sensitivity to criticism.

• Aggression–hostility vs. social desirability: measures aggression, hostility, anger, lack of inhibitory
control, and low social desirability. The factor is associated with rudeness, thoughtless and
antisocial behaviour, vengefulness, quick temper and impatience.
• Impulsive sensation-seeking: measures low socialisation, and high psychoticism, impulsivity, and
sensation-seeking. The impulsivity items assess lack of planfulness and a tendency to act without
thinking. The sensation seeking items describe a liking for thrills and excitement, novelty and variety,
and unpredictable situations and friends.

• Sociability: measures affiliation, social participation, extraversion. Assesses liking for big parties and
interactions with many people, as well as a dislike of isolation in sociable people versus a liking for the
same in unsociable people

• Activity: measures energetic behavior and persistence. This factor is associated with need to keep
active and feelings of restlessness when there is nothing to do.
• Omission of openness to experience

Zuckerman has argued that openness to experience does not meet the criteria for a
truly "basic" factor of personality.[1] Zuckerman stated that the personality factors in
the alternative five model have an evolutionary basis and can be identified in non-
human species but this is not the case for openness. Additionally, of the six facet scales
used to define openness, only one of them (Actions) pertains to behaviour. The
sensation-seeking scales on the other hand are more behavioral in content, and
sensation-seeking does not have a clearly defined relationship to the five factor model,
suggesting it is related to an independent basic factor.
Critical Analysis:

The decision by Zuckerman and colleagues to deliberately omit markers of openness to


experience from their analysis was strongly criticised by Costa and McCrae, proponents
of the five factor model (FFM). Costa and McCrae reanalysed the data used by
Zuckerman and colleagues and found that equivalents of all five factors in the FFM,
including openness emerged in their factor analysis. Even though Zuckerman and
colleagues had deliberately attempted to omit all markers of openness, Costa and
McCrae argued that "cognitive structure" (dislike of ambiguity or uncertainty in
information) is a valid marker of (low) openness.

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