Personality types revisited-a literature-informed and data-driven approach to an integration of prototypical and dimensional constructs of personality description

PLoS One. 2021 Jan 7;16(1):e0244849. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244849. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

A new algorithmic approach to personality prototyping based on Big Five traits was applied to a large representative and longitudinal German dataset (N = 22,820) including behavior, personality and health correlates. We applied three different clustering techniques, latent profile analysis, the k-means method and spectral clustering algorithms. The resulting cluster centers, i.e. the personality prototypes, were evaluated using a large number of internal and external validity criteria including health, locus of control, self-esteem, impulsivity, risk-taking and wellbeing. The best-fitting prototypical personality profiles were labeled according to their Euclidean distances to averaged personality type profiles identified in a review of previous studies on personality types. This procedure yielded a five-cluster solution: resilient, overcontroller, undercontroller, reserved and vulnerable-resilient. Reliability and construct validity could be confirmed. We discuss wether personality types could comprise a bridge between personality and clinical psychology as well as between developmental psychology and resilience research.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Female
  • Germany
  • Health
  • Humans
  • Impulsive Behavior
  • Male
  • Personality / classification*
  • Personality Inventory
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Resilience, Psychological
  • Risk-Taking
  • Self Concept

Grants and funding

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.