The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF)

The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) is a comprehensive measure of normalrange personality found to be effective in a variety of settings where an in-depth assessment of the whole person is needed. The 16PF traits, presented in Table 7.1, are the result of years of factor-analytic research focused on discovering the basic structural elements of personality (Cattell, R.B., 1957, 1973). In addition to discovering the sixteen normal-range personality traits for which the instrument is named, these researchers identified the five broad dimensions – a variant of the ‘Big Five’ factors (Cattell, R.B., 1957, 1970). From the beginning, Cattell proposed a multi-level, hierarchical structure of personality: the second-order global measures describe personality at a broader, conceptual level, while the more precise primary factors reveal the fine details and nuances that make each person unique, and are more powerful in predicting actual behavior. In addition, this factor-analytic structure includes a set of thirdorder factors, also discussed in this chapter. Due to its scientific origins, the 16PF Questionnaire has a long history of empirical research and is embedded in a well-established theory of individual differences. This questionnaire’s extensive body of research stretches back over half a century, providing evidence of its utility in clinical, counseling, industrial-organizational, educational, and research settings (Cattell, R.B. et al., 1970; H.E.P. Cattell and Schuerger, 2003; Conn and Rieke, 1994; Krug and Johns, 1990; Russell and Karol, 2002). A conservative estimate of 16PF research since 1974 includes more than 2,000 publications (Hofer and Eber, 2002). Most studies have found the 16PF to be among the top five most commonly used normal-range instruments in both research and practice (Butcher and Rouse, 1996; Piotrowski and Zalewski, 1993; Watkins et al., 1995). The measure is also widely used internationally, and since its inception has been adapted into over 35 languages worldwide.