Further Evidence for the Cross-Cultural Generality of the Big Seven Factor Model: Indigenous and Imported Spanish Personality Constructs

Recent research has established the structural robustness of the Big Seven across samples and targets. In this study we analyze a diverse pool of Spanish personality terms to assess the cross-cultural and cross-language robustness of the Big Seven model. Trait terms were culled from an unabridged Spanish dictionary following the nonrestrictive selection criteria previously used by Tellegen and Waller. Self-ratings on 299 descriptors by 894 Spanish university students yielded a seven-factor solution that was clearly recognizable - with important cultural-specific differences - as the Big Seven. These indigenous dimensions were compared with factors from Spanish-translated Big Seven and Big Five questionnaires. Our results demonstrate that the Big Seven are cross-culturally and cross-linguistically robust personality dimensions that are not subsumable by the Big Five.