Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Model

Definition

Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Model is a comprehensive theory of personality that suggests there are sixteen underlying dimensions or factors that contribute to an individual's personality. These factors include traits such as extroversion, anxiety, and independence.

Related terms

Trait Theory:

This theory suggests that personality can be understood through identifying and measuring specific traits or characteristics.

Big Five Personality Traits:

The Big Five are five broad dimensions of personality - openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism - which are commonly used to describe and measure individual differences in personality.

Factor Analysis:

This statistical technique is used to identify underlying dimensions or factors within large sets of data. In the case of Cattell's model, factor analysis was used to determine the sixteen key factors that contribute to an individual's personality.