Each of us has our own way of being . We observe the world in a certain way, we relate to others in concrete ways and, in general, we express a tendency to do certain things and to respond in more or less stable ways.

In other words, and although it may sound redundant, each person has his or her own personality. This concept, which defines who and how we are, has been a classic object of study in psychology, and numerous measuring instruments have been created to evaluate it, known as personality tests.

Among all of them, the Personality Factor Questionnaire or 16 Personality Factor Test , also known as 16PF, originally created by psychologist Raymond Cattell, stands out.

A brief introduction: what is personality?

As we have mentioned before, personality is a general pattern of behaviour, interaction, ways of coping and relationship and of perception of reality that each individual possesses. This general pattern is a stable and consistent element that is generated throughout the life of each person, being forged especially from childhood to the beginning of adulthood by means of a combination of biopsychosocial elements (genetics, the environment and the experiences of each person).

The personality may vary in some aspects in response to specific life situations and developments, but generally it is maintained throughout the life cycle, being observed constantly in most areas and through the different situations we live. This does not mean that specific aspects are unchangeable, but it requires a high level of effort and work, generally maintaining the set of characteristics that make up the personality.

The study of personality

The main objectives of the study of personality have been to find and explain the main individual differences between subjects in terms of their behaviour, based on the measurement of different traits. Based on said measurements, an assessment of the characteristics of the individuals can be made by comparing them with the population average, contributing to making predictions about one’s own and other people’s behaviour and assessing their adaptation to the environment .

But it must be taken into account that personality is not an easily identifiable objective element, but an abstract construct that is difficult to quantify. In order to develop instruments to measure personality, different types of criteria have had to be used, such as empirical or rational ones.

One of the methods of construction of personality measurement instruments is based on factorial criteria, in which the relationship between different characteristics is sought in order to establish groups of traits, which are known as personality factors. Taking into account this type of criteria, Raymond Cattell constructed in 1957 one of the most famous personality tests, the 16 FP .

Entering matter: 16 FP

The Personality Factor Questionnaire or FP16 is one of the best known and most used personality measurement instruments throughout the young history of Psychology. Created, as already mentioned by Raymond Cattell, from factorial criteria, this evaluation instrument has as its main function to study and evaluate personality traits from various factors (sixteen main ones and five secondary or global ones in the last version).

These factors are bipolar, i.e., they go on a continuum from one end of the trait to the other, with the score of the person being assessed at some point on that continuum.

To make it easier to understand: if one of the factors is dominance, one of the poles reflects an authoritarian, competitive and independent person while the other would indicate a submissive, conformist and dependent person, with most of the population being in an intermediate situation.

Internal organisation of the personality test

This personality test is organized from a total of 185 closed questions with three answer options, one of the options being indicative of not knowing what to answer, with the exception of some questions posed as problem solving to assess intelligence. As it is based on questions and does not require very advanced technologies to produce a result, has been widely used in companies and all types of organizations when selecting personnel who can become part of the team or receive a promotion.

The score obtained from the FP16 is calculated from templates, which take into account the value of each of the items in the prediction of the corresponding factor, having around ten to fourteen per factor, and passing this score directly to baremated decimals.

The 16 FP consists of different types of scales . In its fifth version there are three scales used in order to detect response styles, being able to assess the sincerity and verifiability of the data obtained, four global or secondary scales and finally sixteen personality factors that are assessed in this personality test.

Population in which to apply it

The type of population for which the FP16 is intended is those subjects from sixteen years of age onwards, who need a level of understanding similar to that of a second year student in the ESO to be able to do it correctly. This is necessary, among other things, to ensure that everyone has sufficient skills to understand the basic functioning of the test and how to apply it .

Despite this, there are different variants of this personality test, with some versions being more aimed at people with reading difficulties or socio-cultural problems.

Objectives and application

The 16PF is designed to make an analysis of the traits and response styles of the person to be evaluated, being able to obtain with its interpretation a basic profile of the subject’s personality.

This personality test is very useful, being frequently applied in areas such as research, organizational and human resources psychology and clinical psychology. However, the idea of this questionnaire is to evaluate typical personality, not being focused on the analysis of psychopathology (although through its observation one could appreciate features that tend to some abnormality, this is not its objective and it is not prepared for the diagnosis of disorders).

Interpreting 16 FP

When analysing the results, the general steps are to first observe the response styles to see if the test results are reliable, and then to assess the global dimensions and the extreme decatips , which serve as a general idea of the situation and profile of the patient when they are extracted from the scores of the other scales, and finally to analyse and interpret the score of each of the 16 primary scales, with the help of the test itself and external guides.

The scales and factors of FP16

These are the different scales that make up FP16:

1. Response style scales

The main function of the response style scales is to ensure the validity and reliability of the data collected on the patient, observing whether he answers correctly and honestly or whether trends appear that distort the data and therefore the personality analysis.

2. Image manipulation

This scale assesses whether the answers given to the questions are sincere or whether they are motivated by social desirability, either to give a good image or to appear worse off than they are, with secondary objectives.

3. Acquiescence

This scale values the tendency to always answer questions positively, which could indicate a lack of sincerity that hinders the correct analysis of the situation.

4. Infrequency rate

It is used to detect unusual responses. This may be because the person being tested answers randomly, although each answer should be analysed and its correspondence with the personality test as a whole.

The 16 main factors

The main or first-order factors reflect in a broad and specific way the different personality traits. They are as follows.

A: Affectivity: Schizophrenia (low affectivity) vs. Cyclothymia (high affectivity)

This factor values emotional expressiveness . Scoring high on this scale implies being affectionate and expressing one’s own emotions, being pleasant to bond with others and having some facility for it. On the other hand, a low score would bring the personality closer to the schizotypal pole, with little affection, poor expressiveness and a high level of rigidity and tendency to isolation.

B: Reasoning: High intelligence vs. low intelligence

Although this factor is more linked to intelligence than to personality, it cannot be ignored that having greater or lesser intellectual capacity affects the way we see the world and act in it .

A high score would make one think of someone with an ability to learn, understand and comprehend the abstract and adapt to circumstances. A low score implies a lower capacity to cope with the environment, having more rigidity and fewer response options and making it difficult to understand the world.

C: Stability: Strength of Self vs Weakness of Self

This factor mainly refers to the stability of the person . A person who scores high is considered to have a tendency to be able to maintain composure and have a stable emotionality. A low score would reflect neuroticism, lability and little emotional control.

D: Dominance: Dominance vs. Submission

The dominance factor refers to the ability to be independent . High scores mean that the pattern of behaviour is competitive, independent and even authoritarian, while low scores indicate submission and conformity.

E: Impulsivity: Emergence (impulsivity) vs. Desurgence (inhibition)

Indicates the motivational capacity and the desire to do things , as well as the capacity for self-control. A person who scores high will be sociable, motivated, impetuous and impulsive, while people with low scores will tend to be worried, cautious and anxious.

F: Group Compliance: Strong Superego vs. Weak Superego

Refers to the capacity for self-control, decision making and assessment of others . A person who scores high will be decisive, stable, committed and will value others but without letting himself be dragged down by them. A low score may indicate frivolity, negligence and immaturity,

G: Daring: Parmia (daring) vs Trectia (shyness)

It is the capacity to transform thoughts and wills into actions . High scores imply daring and spontaneity, while low scores indicate inhibition and shyness that prevents doing things.

H: Sensitivity: Premsia (sensitivity) vs Harria (hardness)

This factor indicates the presence of sensitivity in the person . Scoring high makes one think of an emotional, kind and shy, labile person. Low scores indicate emotional toughness, pragmatism and low capacity to get excited.

I: Suspicion: Alexia (confidence) vs. Protension (distrust)

The level of trust or distrust towards others . People who score high are distrustful of others’ intentions, while low scores reflect interest and trust in others, as well as the ability to bond.

J: Imagination: Praxemia (pragmatism) vs Autia (imagination)

The ability to abstract . Having a high score refers to the ability to be eccentric and unconventional, imaginative. Scoring low in this aspect reflects a personality focused on reality, with little artistic and conventional interest.

K: Cunning: Subtlety vs. Naivete

Capacity to analyze reality in an exhaustive way and observe the different options and perspectives . People who score high have the ability to detect and analyze both reality and themselves, while those who score low are more naive, credulous and somewhat clumsy in their relationships.

L: Guilt: Awareness vs. Unrest

Refers to the ability to take responsibility for things . High scores indicate apprehension and ease of guilt. Low scores reflect security and serenity.

Q1: Rebellion: Radicalism vs. Conservatism

This scale of 16 FP indicates the capacity of open-mindedness or respect for traditional ways of doing things . A high score indicates interest in the intellectual and open-mindedness. Low scores indicate conservatism, tradition and respect.

Q2: Self-sufficiency: Self-sufficiency vs. dependency

Reflects the ability to make one’s own decisions , scoring these people high on the scale, or the preference for making decisions agreed upon by the group and depending on others, in this case the lowest score.

Q3: Self-control: Self-esteem vs. indifference

It involves measuring emotional and behavioral control . A high score suggests the presence of controlled personality, while a low score reflects carefreeness

Q4: Stress: Tension vs.

Refers to the person’s level of anxiety . Nervous and irritable individuals would score high while calm people would have a lower score

Second order or global scales

The second order scales are obtained from the analysis of the sixteen main factors, serving as a general summary of the patient’s situation but providing more general and less precise information than the detailed analysis of each scale.

QS1: Introversion and extraversion

People with relational skills score high on this secondary factor, being extraverted. In contrast, introverts or people who tend to be socially inhibited tend to have a low score.

QS2: Anxiety-Tranquility

Serenity and security are common characteristics in people who score low on this scale. On the other hand, anxious and insecure people tend to score high on this scale.

QS3: Susceptibility-Tenacity

People who are worried, frustrated or easily discouraged tend to score low, regardless of their level of friendliness. They also tend to be analytical. A high score indicates decision-making ability and stability, but also a lower level of risk assessment.

QS4: Dependence-Independence

It reflects in its high scores independence, assertiveness, disinhibition and radicalism while if it is scored low it indicates insecurity, humility, shyness and moralism.

Bibliographic references:

  • Cattell, R.B.; Cattell, A,K., Cattell, H.E.P. (1995). 16 PF-5. Personality Factor Questionnaire. TEA editions.
  • Cohen, R.J. & Swerdlik, M.E. (2002). Psychological testing and assessment. McGraw Hill. Madrid
  • Karson, M., Karson, S., & O’Dell, J. (2002). 16PF-5. A guide to interpretation in clinical practice. Madrid: TEA ediciones
  • Schuerger, J. M. (2009). The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire: 16PF. In C. E. Watkins, Jr. L. Campbell (Eds.), “Testing and Assessment in Counseling Practice” (pp. 67-99). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.