Twenty‐one traits of personality

Reports on a study conducted to examine the factor structure of the occupational personality questionnaire (OPQ) on two independent samples of 1,000 participants (2,000 for the study in total) drawn from the general population of Great Britain. The results suggest that there may be too many dimensions in the 31‐scale concept model and too few in the 14‐scale factor model. An alternative 21‐factor solution seems to be more satisfactory, both in psychometric terms and by providing personality test users with a sufficient number of scales. This means that the OPQ could be more sensitive in discriminating real differences in personality traits between individuals than is currently the case. If the 21‐factor model were adopted, the OPQ would be a more sensitive tool for use in personnel selection, development and counselling. However, the use of personality tests in selection still remains controversial.