A Comparison of the Five-Factor Model and the Six-Factor Model of Personality

There are two different personality models, and those are the five-factor model and the six-factor model. Robert McCrae and Paul Costa developed the five-factor model. Hans Eysenck developed the six-factor personality model, with the help from his wife.

Robert McCrae and Paul Costa formed the Big Five personality model, in which there are five factors. The factors include Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. People with the Openness factor are more adventurous, creative and independent. Those who have signs indicating they have the Neuroticism factor are more insecure, nervous and anxious.

Conscientious people are punctual, hardworking, and organized. Those who show signs of Extraversion are talkative, outgoing, and are social butterflies. And the last factor is Agreeableness, and people with this factor are trusting, kind, sensitive and courteous.

Research has shown that the five factors are commonly seen in different cultures, like in Western and Eastern cultures, and viewed in many nations among the world. Different cultures favor certain factors because of the culture they are accustomed to.

Australians are more favorable to people who have the Extraversion factor, while in Asian countries, there seemed to be more favorable towards people who show the Agreeableness factor.

The other personality model was from Hans Eysenck, whom developed a theory out of three dimensions, and in those dimensions there were six traits (factors). Factors can also be known as traits. There are six traits that include Extraversion or Introversion; Neuroticism or Emotional Stability; Psychoticism or Impulse Control. There are three main dimensions, the E, N, and P.

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People who had a high score on the ‘E’ dimension were noted as extroverts, while people who scored a low level of this dimension were known as introverts (Schultz 279).

People who are extroverts seek for exciting moments. Introverts do not; they are less sociable and more reserved. People who are neurotics are more anxious, as stated in the Big Five model. Emotional stable people are more in control of their feelings and are more relaxed. It is the complete opposite of the neurotic factor. Another factor is Psychoticism, and these people have the traits of being cruel and insensitive. The factor is Impulse Control, and people with this trait are in control of their impulses; it is the polar opposite of the Psychoticism factor.

And like the Big Five model, there have also been signs of Eysenck’s personality model in different cultures and nations. There have been more men that have scored high on the psychoticism factor compared to girls. In China, people who had a criminal history had a higher level of the psychoticism trait (Schultz 281).