The General Factor of Personality: Ten Years After

Abstract

According to the empirical and theoretical research in past ten years, the General Factor of Personality (GFP) was interpreted as the highest-order (most general) personality dimension, which occupies the apex of the structural hierarchy of personality traits. Thus, the GFP is the central concept in the new structural paradigm of personality (the Pyramidal Model of Personality). In the majority of the studies, the GFP was conceptualized as a general factor with substantial psychological (cognitive and behavioural) content reflecting the general social and personal adjustment or effectiveness. The alternative explanations of the GFP emphasize the role of the semantic factors, response styles and other biases. This study reviews the main results of the GFP research including the nature, the biological bases, the strength and cultural universality of GFP, its relations to intelligence and other prominent psychological variables, and its predictive power and practical importance.