Mini-Guide: What Is Cattell’s 16 Personality Factors (16PF) Test

There are so many personality tests or quizzes in the psychology field. Raymond Cattell’s 16 personality factors is one of them. 16 Personality Factors test was introduced by psychologist Raymond Cattell wherein he used personality components in a questionnaire. The factors used in Cattell’s personality test include perfectionism, emotional stability, warmth, reasoning, and others.

These can also be used in unique combinations to explain personality and differences among individuals. If you’re also keen to understand your or your loved one’s personality, you can take a look at Cattell’s personality factors questionnaire to understand how personality develops and controls different behaviors.

What are Cattell’s 16 Personality Factors (16PF)?

16 Personality Factors (16PF) theory was introduced by Raymond Cattell wherein Cattell shaped Gordon Allport’s 4,000 personality trait words identified in the English language. He mostly eliminated common ones. Therefore, he used factor analysis to recognize interrelated traits and reduced them to 16 key personality factors in the theory.

The 16 personality factors listed in Cattell’s theory were listed under a range. This theory describes that each individual has all 16 personality traits to a degree such as:

Cattell’s 16 Personality Factors (Heather E.P.) are derived from Allport’s list. Some further researchers reduced 16 personality factors into smaller numbers for example; the five-factor model is one of the common examples of personality tests.

In today’s world, the five-factor model is one of the commonly used personality tests, after that 16 personality factors questionnaire is commonly used for career counseling, employee testing, employee selection, marital counseling, and others.

In order to use the 16 personality factors questionnaire, the respondent must choose one answer from the choice questions. Consecutively, the score is presented in range and helps individuals learn about their personality more deeply.

Related: Exploring Thinker Personality Type: Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, And Perceiving (INTP)

Other Commonly used personality or questionnaire tests are:

• DISC Personality Test
• Eysenck Personality Inventory
• HEXACO personality inventory
• Myers-Briggs Personality Test
• Revised NEO Personality Inventory

Websites use various systems to interpret results; generally, result interpretation is based on the purpose of a questionnaire, for example, career selection, leadership potential, marital purpose, personal development, and others.

Other Uses of 16 PF:

• Human resources
• Research
• Address patient needs
• Prepare therapy plan
• Asses issues such as adjustment problems and behavioral issues

In case of mental health issues, connect with a mental health professional. To connect with a mental health professional through online platforms, click below:

How to Take Cattell’s 16 PF Test?

The 16PF questionnaire can be easily found on the internet. You can use the free version of Cattell’s Personality Factors Test from here. This test takes approximately 50 minutes to complete. You can use it online or offline (based on your convenience).

An experienced and registered mental health professional can usually perform this test as this test requires a rating on a 10-point scale. Each personality factor is based on different contexts, interactions, and scoring. High and low scores help determine your overall personality.

Result and Interpretation of Cattell’s 16 PF

The 16 PF test provides results in “low range” and “high range.” This does not mean you’re good or bad but this range has a lot to do with your personality. Based on the primary factor provided in the result, here’s how you can determine your personality:

No.	Primary Factor	Low Range	High Range
1	Warmth (A)	Aloof, cool, detached, distant, formal, impersonal, reserved	Attentive to others, easygoing, likes people, kindly, participating, outgoing, warm
2	Reasoning (B)	Concrete-thinking, lower mental capability, inability to handle abstract issues, less intelligent	Abstract thinker, bright and high mental capability, intelligent, fast-learner
3	Emotional Stability (C)	Changeable, emotionally reactive, easily upset, less stable emotionally, affected by feelings or emotions highly	Adaptive, calm reactor, emotionally stable, mature
4	Dominance (E)	Avoids conflict, cooperative, deferential, humble, easily led, accommodating, docile, submissive	Assertive, aggressive, bossy, competitive, dominant, forceful, stubborn
5	Liveliness (F)	Introspective, prudent, restrained, silent, reserved	Animated, cheerful, enthusiastic, lively, impulsive, spontaneous, lively, happy-go-lucky
6	Rule-Consciousness (G)	Disregard rules, expedient, self-indulgent, nonconforming	Conscientious, conforming, moralistic, rule-bound, rule-conscious, sober
7	Social Boldness (H)	Hesitant, timid, intimated, threat-sensitive, shy	Uninhibited, thick-skinned, venturesome, socially bonding
8	Sensitivity (I)	Rough, objective, tough-minded, no-nonsense toleration, utilitarian	Aesthetic, intuitive, refined, tender-minded, sensitive, sentimental
9	Vigilance (L)	Accepting, easy, unconditional, trusting, unsuspecting	Distrustful, oppositional, vigilant, skeptical, suspicious
10	Abstractedness (M)	Conventional, grounded, solution-oriented, steady, prosaic, practical	Abstract, absentminded, imaginative, impractical, idea-oriented
11	Privateness (N)	Artless, guideless, involved, naïve, genuine, unpretentious	Astute, discreet, diplomatic, private, worldly, polished, non-disclosing
12	Apprehension (O)	Confident, complacent, self-assured, self-controlled, self-satisfied, unworried	iApprehensive, insecure, guilt-prone, self-doubting, worrying, self-blaming
13	Openness to Change (Q1)	Attached to family, conservative, respective, traditional	Analytical, critical, experimental, liberal, flexible, open to change
14	Self-Reliance (Q2)	Affiliative, follower, group-oriented, dependent	Individualistic, resourceful, self-sufficient, self-reliant, solitary
15	Perfectionism (Q3)	Careless, uncontrolled, impulsive, tolerating, unexacting, self-conflicted, lax, undisciplined	Compulsive, control, exacting, socially precise, disciplined, self-sentimental, organized
16	Tension (Q4)	Composed, placid, patient, relaxed, tranquil, torpid	Driven, impatient, high-energy, tense, over-wrought, frustrated

I hope this blog helps you understand Cattell’s personality factors test. Comment down and share your views on the same. For more such content, connect with us through all social media platforms.

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