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16 PF is the standard abbreviation for the 16 Personality Factors multivariately-derived by psychologist Raymond Cattell.
Below is a table outlining this model.
Raymond Cattell's 16 Personality Factors (16 PF)
| Descriptors of Low Range | Primary Factor | Descriptors of High Range |
|---|---|---|
| Impersonal, distant, cool, reserved, detached, formal, aloof (Sizothymia) | Warmth | Warm, outgoing, attentive to others, kindly, easy going, participating, likes people (Affectothymia) |
| Concrete thinking, lower general mental capacity, less intelligent, unable to handle abstract problems (Lower Scholastic Mental Capacity) | Reasoning | Abstract-thinking, more intelligent, bright, higher general mental capacity, fast learner (Higher Scholastic Mental Capacity) |
| Reactive emotionally, changeable, affected by feelings, emotionally less stable, easily upset (Lower Ego Strength) | Emotional Stability | Emotionally stable, adaptive, mature, faces reality calm (Higher Ego Strength) |
| Deferential, cooperative, avoids conflict, submissive, humble, obedient, easily led, docile, accommodating (Submissiveness) | Dominance | Dominant, forceful, assertive, aggressive, competitive, stubborn, bossy (Dominance) |
| Serious, restrained, prudent, taciturn, introspective, silent (Desurgency) | Liveliness | Lively, animated, spontaneous, enthusiastic, happy go lucky, cheerful, expressive, impulsive (Surgency) |
| Expedient, nonconforming, disregards rules, self indulgent (Low Super Ego Strength) | Rule-Consciousness | Rule-conscious, dutiful, conscientious, conforming, moralistic, staid, rule bound (High Super Ego Strength) |
| Shy, threat-sensitive, timid, hesitant, intimidated (Threctia) | Social Boldness | Socially bold, venturesome, thick skinned, uninhibited (Parmia) |
| Utilitarian, objective, unsentimental, tough minded, self-reliant, no-nonsense, rough (Harria) | Sensitivity | Sensitive, aesthetic, sentimental, tender minded, intuitive, refined (Premsia) |
| Trusting, unsuspecting, accepting, unconditional, easy (Alaxia) | Vigilance | Vigilant, suspicious, skeptical, distrustful, oppositional (Protension) |
| Grounded, practical, prosaic, solution oriented, steady, conventional (Praxernia) | Abstractedness | Abstract, imaginative, absent minded, impractical, absorbed in ideas (Autia) |
| Forthright, genuine, artless, open, guileless, naive, unpretentious, involved (Artlessness) | Privateness | Private, discreet, nondisclosing, shrewd, polished, worldly, astute, diplomatic (Shrewdness) |
| Self-Assured, unworried, complacent, secure, free of guilt, confident, self satisfied (Untroubled) | Apprehension | Apprehensive, self doubting, worried, guilt prone, insecure, worrying, self blaming (Guilt Proneness) |
| Traditional, attached to familiar, conservative, respecting traditional ideas (Conservatism) | Openness to Change | Open to change, experimental, liberal, analytical, critical, free thinking, flexibility (Radicalism) |
| Group-oriented, affiliative, a joiner and follower dependent (Group Adherence) | Self-Reliance | Self-reliant, solitary, resourceful, individualistic, self sufficient (Self-Sufficiency) |
| Tolerated disorder, unexacting, flexible, undisciplined, lax, self-conflict, impulsive, careless of social rules, uncontrolled (Low Integration) | Perfectionism | Perfectionistic, organized, compulsive, self-disciplined, socially precise, exacting will power, control, self-sentimental (High Self-Concept Control) |
| Relaxed, placid, tranquil, torpid, patient, composed low drive (Low Ergic Tension) | Tension | Tense, high energy, impatient, driven, frustrated, over wrought, time driven. (High Ergic Tension) |
Primary Factors and Descriptors in Cattell's 16 Personality Factor Model (Adapted From Conn & Rieke, 1994).
Cattell referred to these 16 factors as primary factors, as opposed to the so-called "Big Five" factors which he considered global factors. All of the primary factors correlate with global factors and could therefore be considered subfactors within them.
See also
"16 Personality Factors"