Five-Factor Personality Model Versus Affective Temperaments: a Study in a Nonclinical Polish Sample
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current issues in personality psychology · volume 7(1), 9 doi: https://doi.org/10.5114/cipp.2019.82751 original article Five-factor personality model versus affective temperaments: a study in a nonclinical Polish sample Włodzimierz Oniszczenko1 · A,B,C,D,E,F,G, Ewa Stanisławiak2 · B,D,E,F 1: Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, Poland 2: Faculty of Psychology, University of Finance and Management, Warsaw, Poland background with all other affective temperaments. Neuroticism togeth- The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between er with introversion was the best predictor of depressive five-factor personality model traits and affective tempera- temperament, accounting for 55% of the variance. Neu- ments. roticism also explained 37% of the anxious temperament variance and 22% of cyclothymic temperament variance. participants and procedure Extraversion predicts hyperthymic temperament (account- The sample consisted of 615 healthy Caucasian adults ing for 25% of the variance) and low agreeableness predicts (395 women and 220 men) recruited from a nonclini- irritable temperament (10% of explained variance). The re- cal population. Participants’ ages ranged from 17 to 69 sults confirmed that women are more depressive, cyclothy- (M = 30.79, SD = 9.69). The Polish version of Akiskal’s mic and anxious and less hyperthymic than men and have Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San a higher level of neuroticism than men. Diego Auto-Questionnaire was used for the assessment of affective temperaments. The five-factor personality model conclusions traits were measured with the Polish version of Costa and The results highlight the importance of two personality McCrae’s NEO-FFI Personality Inventory. traits: neuroticism and extraversion. They may share simi- larities with certain affective temperaments and may also results contribute to development of affective disorders. Neuroticism positively correlated with depressive, cyclo- thymic, irritable and anxious temperaments, but negatively key words with hyperthymic temperament. Extraversion positively Big Five; temperaments; healthy adults correlated with hyperthymic temperament, but negatively corresponding author – Prof. Włodzimierz Oniszczenko, Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, 5-7 Stawki Str., 00-183 Warsaw, Poland, e-mail: [email protected] authors’ contribution – A: Study design · B: Data collection · C: Statistical analysis · D: Data interpretation · E: Manuscript preparation · F: Literature search · G: Funds collection to cite this article – Oniszczenko, W., & Stanisławiak, E. (2019). Five-factor personality model versus affective temperaments: a study in a nonclinical Polish sample. Current Issues in Personality Psychology, 7(1), 15–23. received 06.03.2018 · reviewed 02.01.2019 · accepted 05.01.2019 · published 04.02.2019 NEO-FFI and affective temperaments BACKGROUND Krajewska and Rybakowski (2017) demonstrated that neuroticism-related temperament traits, such The main goal of the study was to investigate and as emotional reactivity (ER) and perseveration (PE), evaluate the relationship between personality traits accounted for 24% of the anxious temperament vari- postulated by the Costa and McCrae five-factor ance, while extraversion-related temperament traits personality model (FFM; McCrae & John, 1992) and such as activity were the best predictors of hyperthy- Akiskal’s (Akiskal & Akiskal, 2005) affective temper- mic temperament, accounting for 25% of the variance. aments as measured by the Temperament Evaluation These results also support the hypothesis regarding of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Auto-Ques- the relationship between FFM dimensions and affec- tionnaire (TEMPS-A) in a nonclinical population. tive temperaments. Affective temperament types (depressive, cyclothy- According to McCrae and Costa (2005), FFM per- mic, hyperthymic, irritable and anxious) are trait-re- sonality traits are endogenous basic tendencies that lated manifestations that play definitive roles in deter- have been developing since childhood. It is important mining predispositions to affective disorders (Akiskal to note that Costa and McCrae (2001) gave all the traits & Akiskal, 2005; Pompili et al., 2018; Solmi et al., 2016). the status of temperament traits. However, these traits Vázquez and Gonda (2013) emphasize that the model are all commonly referred to as personality traits. Ba- of affective temperaments was based on the observa- sic tendencies, genetically determined, in interaction tion of patients with mood disorders and their healthy with external influences cause characteristic adapta- first-degree relatives. As has been demonstrated, af- tions and behaviors (McCrae & Sutin, 2018). FFM traits fective temperaments exhibit good long-term stabil- may also contribute to psychopathology symptoms, ity and may be considered stable traits (Kawamura course and treatment. Of particular importance is the et al., 2010). Furthermore, they encompass healthy high level of neuroticism and the low levels of extra- personality traits (Rovai et al., 2013) and, as demon- version, conscientiousness and agreeableness (Malouff strated by data from large national studies employing et al., 2005). Affective temperaments are thought to be general and healthy samples, have universal (Vázquez present in up to 20% of the healthy general popula- & Gonda, 2013) and culturally specific characteristics tion (Vázquez et al., 2012), while all adults and children (Vázquez, Tondo, Mazzarini, & Gonda, 2012). since early and middle childhood can be characterized Costa and McCrae’s (McCrae & John, 1992) five- by FFM traits (McCrae & Costa, 2005). Taking into ac- factor personality model was developed in order to count that FFM traits are present and can be measured describe healthy human functioning. The model com- starting from childhood (Caspi, Roberts, & Shiner, prises five broad trait dimensions: neuroticism (or 2005), we assume that FFM traits may serve as factors emotional instability), extraversion versus introver- conducive to development of affective temperaments sion, openness (or unconventionality), agreeableness throughout the lifespan and indirectly contribute to versus antagonism, and conscientiousness/constraint the development of psychopathology. (Bagby & Widiger, 2018). Multiple studies (e.g., Ko- This study is the first attempt to demonstrate the tov, Gamez, Schmidt, & Watson, 2010; Malouff, Thor- relationship between the FFM dimensions and affec- steinsson, & Schutte, 2005) support a link between tive temperament in a nonclinical Polish sample. We FFM traits and psychopathology. Neuroticism seems hypothesized that: (a) neuroticism would be positive- to be the FFM dimension most closely associated with ly correlated with depressive, cyclothymic, irritable affective temperaments. Blӧink, Brieger, Akiskal and and anxious temperaments while negatively related Marneros (2005) demonstrated positive correlations to hyperthymic temperament; (b) extraversion would between neuroticism as measured by the NEO Five- be positively correlated with hyperthymic tempera- Factor Inventory and all the affective temperaments, ment and negatively with depressive, cyclothymic, except for hyperthymic in the German nonclinical irritable and anxious temperaments; (c) agreeable- sample. Notably, extraversion was negatively corre- ness and conscientiousness would have a negative lated with all affective temperaments, again with the relationship with affective temperaments. exception of hyperthymic (positive correlation) in the German sample. Also, negative correlations between agreeableness and cyclothymic and irritable tempera- PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE ments were found in this group as well as a positive correlation between conscientiousness and depressive PARTICIPANTS temperament and a negative correlation between con- scientiousness and cyclothymic temperament (Blӧink The sample consisted of 615 healthy Caucasian adults et al., 2005). Kwapil et al. (2013) showed that five- (395 women and 220 men) recruited from a nonclini- factor personality model traits accounted for between cal population. Participants’ ages ranged from 17 to 38% (irritable temperament) and 49% (hyperthymic 69 (M = 30.79, SD = 9.69). In terms of education levels, temperament) of total variance in the affective tem- 390 participants had received higher education, 195 par- peraments. Oniszczenko, Stanisławiak, Dembińska- ticipants secondary education and 19 participants pri- 16 current issues in personality psychology Włodzimierz Oniszczenko, Ewa Stanisławiak mary education (11 participants did not any provide NEO-FFI Personality Inventory (Zawadzki, Strelau, information about their education). All self-report ques- Szczepaniak, & Śliwińska, 1998). This questionnaire tionnaires were administered in a standard manner. has 60 items, all with a 5-point Likert response scale, The study was anonymous, and participation was and 12 items per scale. The NEO-FFI consists of the fol- voluntary. Informed consent was obtained from all lowing scales (Cronbach alphas are given in parenthe- participants before they were included in the study, ses): neuroticism (N; α = .80), extraversion (E; α = .77), and the participants did not receive any compensa- openness to experience (O; α = .68), agreeableness tion. The research project was accepted by the local (A; α = .68), and conscientiousness (C; α = .82). Research Ethics Commission at the Faculty of Psy- chology, University of Warsaw. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS MEASURES Statistical analysis