THEORETICAL RESEARCH

 

Structural equivalence and the Neo-Pi-R: Implications for the applicability of the five-factor model of personality in an African context

 

 

Sumaya Laher

Department of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Correspondence

 

 

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ABSTRACT

The NEO-PI-R is one of the most widely used and researched operationalisations of the Five Factor model (FFM) of personality (McCrae & Allik, 2002, McCrae & Terraccianno, 2005). Considerable evidence exists in terms of its replicability across cultures leading researchers to conclude that the NEO-PI-R and by extension the FFM are universally applicable. This paper, by virtue of reviewing appropriate literature, argues that evidence for the structural equivalence of the NEO-PI-R, while appropriate in Western cultures, is lacking in non-Western, and specifically African cultures. This is discussed with particular reference to the existence of other factors which are not tapped by this model and which would merit further research.

Keywords: Five-Factor model, individualism, collectivism, personality, spirituality

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Correspondence:
Sumaya Laher
E-mail: sumaya.laher@wits.ac.za