Revised NEO Personality Inventory: (NEO-PIR): What It Is And What It Measures
Personality Psychology is concerned with searching for universal personality factors that can define what people are like. The most widely accepted model has been the Big Five Model, by Costa and McCrae (1992).
In this article We will learn about the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PIR), a personality test that evaluates these 5 factors. We will know these factors, as well as the traits or facets that make them up. We will also see what characteristics the NEO-PIR has.
The NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PIR or NEO-PI-R) is a personality measurement instrument; that is, a test that evaluates personality. Specifically, it evaluates 5 personality factors; In turn, each factor is made up of six traits or dimensions.
This inventory It was developed in 1999 by Paul T. Costa and Robert R. McCrae The original version of this personality test dates back to 1983, and was developed by the same authors. The theoretical model on which this test is based is the Big Five Model (or Big Five Models, 1992) of personality (the big 5 factors), also by the same authors.
Big Five Model
The Big Five Model is one of the most important models in personality psychology, and proposes several factors that make up the personality of all people; The highest or lowest scores on each factor would determine individual differences in personality
These 5 factors proposed by the Big Five are: Neuroticism (represented with an N), Extraversion (E), Openness to Experience (O), Agreeableness (A) and Responsibility (C). As we will see throughout the article, these factors can also take other names, used as synonyms.
NEO-PIR Characteristics
At the level of format and structure, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory is a self-report inventory, consisting of 240 items on 5-point Likert-type scales (from 0 to 4). Each of the 5 factors it evaluates is made up of 48 items. In turn, each factor is made up of 6 traits, which we will detail later, and which make up 30 specific scales (each with 8 items).
As we have seen, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory evaluates all the factors typical of the “Big Five” model (5 factors), widely known in personality psychology and psychological evaluation.
The main difference with the previous version (the NEO-PI), is that the Revised NEO Personality Inventory evaluates the last two factors introduced (compliance and awareness) explicitly, and not implicitly Later we will see the characteristics of the NEO-PI version and those of its predecessor (the NEO).
Personality Factors
Specifically, the NEO-PIR evaluates the 5 factors mentioned, which we will see below. Let’s also see what it means to obtain high and low scores in each of the factors:
1. Neuroticism
Neuroticism is a first-order factor that is made up of the following traits: anxiety, hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsivity and vulnerability
Neuroticism is a personality factor or trait that indicates a certain emotional lability and hypersensitivity, as well as a tendency to experience negative emotions frequently and to suffer somatic alterations. These characteristics would appear in people who have scored high in neuroticism.
On the other hand, obtaining a low score in neuroticism indicates being an emotionally stable person.
2. Extraversion
The second first-order factor, like all the factors of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, also corresponds to the Big Five Model. Extraversion (also called emergence) is made up of six traits: warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, activity, searching and emotionality
Scoring high in extraversion indicates being an expansive, uninhibited, social person, with a tendency to take action and experience strong emotions. It is also a characteristic of impulsive people. On the other hand, scoring low indicates being an introverted person, rather calm, reserved, reflective, organized and withdrawn.
3. Openness to experience
The third factor of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory is openness to experience. This factor is made up of the following features: fantasy, values, ideas, aesthetics, sensitivity and action This factor has also been called “culture” on certain occasions.
A high score in openness to experience is typical of people who seek and appreciate experiences, who have a taste for the unknown and who like to explore new terrain or areas.
Scoring low in this factor is more typical of “homemade” people (who like to be at home), who find it difficult to leave their “comfort zone”, who are not interested in trying new things and experimenting, etc
4. Compliance
The conformity factor also has synonyms in the Revised NEO Personality Inventory; So, It is also known as cordiality or friendliness Its opposite would be antagonism/oppositionism.
Conformity is made up of the following traits: trust, altruism, compliance, tenderness, modesty and obedience.
Obtaining high scores in this trait implies being an empathetic and cooperative person. This factor actually corresponds to a quality of social interactions and a self-concept, a social attitude and a philosophy of life, which are related to this empathy and this cooperativity. It is typical of people who are sensitive to others and have a collaborative attitude
On the other hand, a low conformity score indicates people who are rather selfish, who do not think as much about others, and even a little haughty (not very humble or modest).
5. Awareness
The last factor of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory is conscientiousness (also called responsibility). Its features are: order, competition, freedom, achievement, discipline and reflection
People who present this factor are organized, persistent, who control situations and who are motivated by goal-directed behaviors. According to the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, the opposite factor would be negligence.
Previous versions
There are two versions that precede the NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PIR); the NEO and the NEO-PI, as well as a reduced version of the NEO-PIR. Let’s see what each of them evaluates:
1. NEO (McCrae and Costa, 1983)
Thus, as we mentioned, the original version of this inventory was the NEO by McCrae and Costa (1983), which evaluates the following factors: neuroticism, extraversion and openness to experience
2. NEO-PI (McCrae and Costa, 1985)
The second version of the NEO Personality Inventory was the NEO-PI, which was developed in 1985. It evaluates the previous factors, along with two new ones: conformity and conscientiousness. These two factors are implicitly evaluated in the inventory.
3. NEO-FFI (shortened version)
There is a shortened version of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, called NEO-FFI; this version It is made up of only 60 items, and evaluates the same factors as the NEO-PIR
