Unifying the Aspects of the Big Five, the Interpersonal Circumplex, and Trait Affiliation

2012/11/06 by Colin G. DeYoung, Yanna J. Weisberg, Lena C. Quilty +1 · 287 citations
Psychology · #Agreeableness #Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes #Assertiveness #Big Five personality traits #Enthusiasm #Extraversion and introversion #Interpersonal communication #Personality #Personality Disorders and Psychopathology #Personality Traits and Psychology #Psychology #Social psychology #Trait

paper · doi:10.1111/jopy.12020

published in Journal of Personality 81(5), 465-475 (Wiley)

openalex publication_date 2012/11/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Two dimensions of the Big Five, Extraversion and Agreeableness, are strongly related to interpersonal behavior. Factor analysis has indicated that each of the Big Five contains two separable but related aspects. The present study examined the manner in which the aspects of Extraversion (Assertiveness and Enthusiasm) and Agreeableness (Compassion and Politeness) relate to interpersonal behavior and trait affiliation, with the hypothesis that these four aspects have a structure corresponding to the octants of the interpersonal circumplex. A second hypothesis was that measures of trait affiliation would fall between Enthusiasm and Compassion in the IPC. METHOD: These hypotheses were tested in three demographically different samples (N = 469; 294; 409) using both behavioral frequency and trait measures of the interpersonal circumplex, in conjunction with the Big Five Aspect Scales (BFAS) and measures of trait affiliation. RESULTS: Both hypotheses were strongly supported. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide a more thorough and precise mapping of the interpersonal traits within the Big Five and support the integration of the Big Five with models of interpersonal behavior and trait affiliation.

Citations

• Individual Difference Variables, Affective Differentiation, and the Structures of Affect

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