National University of Comahue FACE - Psychology Degree Department of

Psychological Assessment II - 2015

Prof. Agustina Tirachini

Prof. Estefanía Alarcón

NEO-PI-R PERSONALITY INVENTORY BASED ON THE THEORY OF

FIVE FACTORS

NEO-PI-R: Technical Sheet

NEO-PI-R Revised NEO Personality Inventory

Paul T. Costa and Robert R. McCrae.
1992
Constructor that evaluates: Personality Traits under normal conditions
Population targeted: Adolescents over 17 years old and without serious psychopathological disorders.
adults from the general population
Time: there is no time limit (usually they need 30 to 40 minutes, except for people
of legal age or with reading difficulties who take more time
Administration: individual or group
Support or materials: pencil and paper
Format of the items: likert type
NEOPIR: 240 (48 per dimension and per facet)
Areas of application: all that require evaluating personality

The NEO-PI-R, designed by Paul T. Costa, Jr. and Robert R. McCrae in 1992, is a revised version
and improved from the original NEO-PI inventory by Costa & McCrae from 1985.
It is one of the most recognized instruments today for the evaluation of traits.
personality under normal conditions. It constitutes a conceptual model that is derived from
of the thorough investigation of personality factors.

In its structure, it has 5 domains and 30 facets that allow for an evaluation.
comprehensive of adult personality.

The five dimensions that the instrument values are: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness,
Agreement and Scrupulousness. Each of which is made up of six facets or
subdimensions.

Describing the subject's profile in each of the five factors, a study is obtained.
comprehensive that synthesizes their emotional, interpersonal, experiential styles and
attitude.

Domains are a measure of personality at this level, and facets are a more detailed analysis.
detailed that allows measuring specific traits within each of the five domains.

Table 1. Dimensions and facets of Neo-Pi-R

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The NEO-PI-R represents a revised version of the NEO-PI, initially built by Costa &
Mc Crae in the year 1985. It originally consisted of three specific scales that
allowed measuring Neuroticism, Openness, and extraversion, and global scales that evaluated
Agreement and scrupulosity.

Regarding the management modality, there are two versions of the inventory: form S,
whose items are written in the first person so that the subject reads and completes
by itself each reagent; the R form, where the items are narrated in the third person,
for an 'observing subject' to score another subject.

In Argentina, the NEO-PI-R, in its S version, has been adapted through various projects.
research at the National University of Buenos Aires, under the direction of Dr. Leibovich
of Figueroa.

Likewise, the instrument presents two abbreviated forms, both in its original form and
revised, where the 240 items are reduced to 60 allowing the evaluation of the five domains
of personality, but without measuring each of its facets.

It should be noted that the NEO-FFI-R version, although it consists of 60 items, 14 of them
they were reviewed, considering the results, produced by various studies, about the
importance that cultural factors have in the interpretation that is made of the
scores of this instrument.

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GUIDELINES FOR ADMINISTRATION, SCORING, AND INTERPRETATION

ADMINISTRATION:

First, the subject is provided with the protocol. After completing socio information
demographic and read the instructions, you are asked if you have any questions regarding the prompt.

When the subject finishes answering the test, the evaluator must check that there are no remaining
blank responses without completion, in a way to encourage the subject to respond. In case
If you do not decide, you can always appeal to option N (neutral).

It is not recommended to apply the instrument to people with conditions such as psychosis or disorders.
demented. In the case of individuals with low reading comprehension level or individuals
for visually impaired individuals, it is recommended that the evaluator read the items and complete the
answers.

PUNCTUATION:

Before proceeding with the scoring of the scales that make up the instrument, it is necessary to
pay attention to some situations that could invalidate the protocol, or cause it to be
interpretation should be carried out with utmost caution.

1. Scoring cannot be done if 41 or more responses are missing. If less than 41 responses are missing,
answers, those items are calculated as if they had a neutral response (N). If 3 are missing
scores from the same scale, it is suggested to interpret the profile with caution.

2. Acquiescence: It is referred to in this way if 150 or more items with responses are counted.
"A" or "TA". In this case, the interpretation of the profile is done with care.

3. Negative responses: If there are 50 or fewer items with response 'A' or 'TA', the interpretation is
handle with care.

4. Randomly marked answers: If more than 6 items have been answered consecutively
"TD", more than 9 consecutive items "D", more than 10 consecutive items "N", more than 14 items
consecutive "A" or more than 9 consecutive "TA" items.

Correction and Calculation of Score of the facets:

In the correction of the items, the aspects that make up each one are addressed first.
dimension, and then arrive at the total score for each domain.

The correction can be done manually, with the answer sheet (see attached). There it
Draw a circle in the selected option for each item: TD, D, N, A, TA that has a
score between 0 and 4 according to the item. Once indicated on the Answer Sheet
All the subject's responses sum the values for the eight items per row and are acquired.
the Gross Score of the facet.

For example: Items 1 + 31 + 61 + 91 + 121 + 151 + 181 + 211 (row 1) = Anxiety PB.

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In the same way, the value of the 30 facets is acquired.

Scoring Calculation of the dimensions: Once the PB of all the facets have been obtained, it
continue obtaining the value of the dimensions. Since each dimension is made up of 6
Facets, the PB value of the 6 facets is summed to achieve the PB of the dimension.

Neuroticism
E (Extroversion) = E1 + E2 + E3 + N4 + N5 + N6
O (Opening) = O1 + O2 + O3 + O4 + O5 + O6
A1 + A2 + A3 + A4 + A5 + A6
C (Scrupulousness) = C1 + C2 + C3 + C4 + C5 + C6

The PB of each dimension and PB of each facet are transformed into percentile scores using
the benchmarks by sex (see annex) and then they are transferred to the profile sheet which graphs the
personality profile as shown in the figure below.

INTERPRETATION:

It is important to consider that the raw score values of the scales have no meaning and
they gain value when compared with the answers of other subjects using benchmarks. To
To interpret a NEO-PI-R profile, the first step is to examine the scales of the five domains.
to understand personality on a broader level. It then aims to be able to integrate the
information about the scores of the scales and facets in a significant profile.

The scales of the NEO-PI-R measure traits in normal distributions and the majority of the
evaluated subjects tend to present a score close to the average of the scale and a
small percentage at each end.

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Individual scores generally represent degrees of the personality trait while
extreme scores mean a higher likelihood of exhibiting the characteristics
distinctive.

Each domain has six specific scales, ensuring that the items will cover a broader range.
of thoughts, feelings, and actions, that is to say a dimensional view. The approach
multifaceted in the measurement of the five factors arises from the fact that the differences
Significant individuals can be seen within the domains.

The detailed examination of facets is especially useful when the domain has a score.
average. The profile is interpreted at five levels: very low, low, average, high, and very high.

Unlike other categorical personality instruments such as the MMPI, which presents
a cutoff point from which those who have a trait are separated from those who do not
they have it, in the NEOPIR both a low, average, or high score is informative of the subject, given
What is a dimensional instrument of personality?

The published standards in our environment are intended to serve as a group of

standard reference and the choice of the comparison group is at the discretion of the
Evaluator. Standards can be used for men, women, or people in general.

In the annex, age scales are found. The T Score = 50 signifies average.
A score higher than T = 65 is considered high, and a score lower than T is considered low.
It is possible to gather in a profile the set of scores to see the total configuration of the
personality in relation to the reference group. Facets and domains are identified more
outcomes to then make predictions about aspects of the subject's life:
coping, vocational interests, life satisfaction.

The profile should be interpreted in the context of the individual's history, current issues, and others.
data from the psychological history. It is recommended to interpret the facets domain by domain
Given that it is difficult to understand the 30 scales without relating them. It may be useful to consider
pairs of domains that correspond to particular areas of life: affective plane (N and E)
represents the basic emotional styles of the subject), interpersonal level (E and A). For
vocational interests and for the choice of optimal forms of therapy (E and O). (E and C) models
of activity. (O and A) relevant to attitudes. (O and C) for academic performance. (A and
C) represent basic dimensions of character.

When there is S and R form, the possibilities of interpretation multiply.

One can interpret personality as it is perceived by the individual and by those around them.
Profile that takes into account points of agreement and disagreement.

The following is a summary of the meaning of each of the domains, and of each
one of the facets that make them up1:

NEUROTICISM (N)
It is about the willingness to experience negative emotions such as fears, feelings of
guilt, sadness, and anger. This domain assesses emotional instability.
High scores: Indicate mismatch, general tendency to experience feelings
negatives (fear, melancholy, shame, anger, guilt, disgust). Subjects can

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Synthesis and description of domains based on Costa & McCrae (1992)

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present irrational ideas, poor impulse control, and inadequate
stress management.
Low scores: Indicate emotional adjustment and stability. People who usually
They appear calm and relaxed, capable of facing stressful situations without becoming agitated.
FACETS
ANXIETY High scores: apprehensive and fearful subjects tend to
worry excessively. They often appear nervous, tense and
voluble. They tend to have fears or phobias as well as anxiety.
fluctuating.
Low scores: Calm and relaxed person, does not have a vision.
negative. They don't think things could go wrong. They are subjects
calm.
N2: HOSTILITY High scores: Indicate frequent reactions of anger and bitterness
facing situations of frustration. They experience feelings of anger.
and resentment. The manifestation of the feeling of anger is found
subordinate to the level of Agreement (see domain)
Low scores: Calm subject and difficult to irritate. They tend to be
controlled and understanding people.
N3: DEPRESSION High scores: Willingness to experience depressive feelings
like guilt, sadness, melancholy, hopelessness, and loneliness.
Low scores: Indicates that the person does not experience these.
feelings. It does not necessarily refer to jovial people,
cheerful or carefree.
N4: SHYNESS High scores: willingness to experience feelings of
shame. They are people who feel uncomfortable with others,
sensitive to ridicule, being prone to feelings of
inferiority.
Low scores: Subjects who do not experience discomfort when relating
with other people. Even without necessarily having fluency and good
social skills, they don’t worry about it.
N5: IMPULSIVENESS High scores: Low ability to control impulses and
outbursts, whether eating, smoking, buying, playing, etc. They usually perceive
their needs and desires so intensely that they cannot
resist to them, although later they will regret their
behavior.
Low scores: People who find it easy to control their
temptations, highlighting a high tolerance for frustration. Indicates
self-control ability.
N6: VULNERABILITY High scores: Individuals unable to cope with stress,
becoming dependent, hopeless, or terrified,
highlighting panic in emergency situations.
Low scores: Evidence ability and resources to manage
in adverse situations.

EXTRAVERSION (E)
This domain assesses the willingness to experience positive emotions with a tendency to
sociability. It values the tendency to communicate with others, to be assertive and active in
verbalizations.
High scores: Sociable people who connect easily with others, feeling at
Pleasure in meetings or groups. They are usually assertive, active, and talkative people. They feel pleasure.
for the exaltation with a cheerful, optimistic, and enthusiastic character tendency.

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Low Scores: Reserved people who prefer to be alone. They tend to be
independent. It does not mean that they necessarily experience social anxiety or unhappiness in
group situations.
FACETS
Cordiality High scores: Willingness for interpersonal relationships.
characterized by being kind and friendly people, who enjoy the
relationships with others, easily forming close bonds
with others.
Low scores: Subjects with formal manners, are reserved and
distant. It does not indicate that they are necessarily hostile or lacking in
compassion.
E2: GREGARISM High scores: They prefer to be in the company of other people.
They enjoy getting together and having fun with others. They seek
actively have these links.
Low scores: Lonely subjects, does not seek and even rejects.
actively the social stimuli.
E3: ASSERTIVENESS High scores: It characterizes dominant and energetic subjects. With
willingness to rise. They express themselves without hesitation and say what
They think directly. Socially prominent, they often
become leaders of groups.
Low scores: A low-profile person, who prefers to remain in a...
in the background, not drawing attention and letting others speak.
E4: ACTIVITY High scores: Subjects of vigorous and rapid movements, with
feeling of energy and need to stay active. Need
to always keep busy.
Low scores: Calm individuals take their time to do the tasks.
things. It does not indicate that they are lazy.
E5: SEARCH FOR High scores: They seek situations that produce them.
EXCITATION excitement, they enjoy noisy environments. They enjoy the
colorful, the novel.
Low scores: Rejection of enjoying these situations. People
with a low score feel a low need for emotions and prefer
a life that turns out boring for those who score high in this
scale.
E6: EMOTIONS High scores: High tendency to experience positive emotions,
POSITIVE like joy, happiness, love, and enthusiasm. Subjects that laugh with
ease, which appear cheerful and optimistic.
Low scores: More reserved and less communicative subjects.

OPENING (O)
Indicate the person's willingness to experience or originality. Evaluate the presence of
active imagination, aesthetic sensitivity, capacity for introspection, and intellectual curiosity.
High scores: Evidence of interest in the external and internal world. Desire to take in
consideration of new ideas and unconventional values. They experience their emotions
positive and negative aspects in a very profound way. They turn out to be unconventional people.
Low Scores: Conventional people both in their behavior and in their
appearance. They are conservative and their emotional responses tend to be subdued. They prefer the
familiar with the new.
FACETS
FANTASY High scores: Indicate the presence of possibilities to create and
imagine. Lived imagination and very active fantasy life. They dream

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 awake. They create and develop fantasies, they believe that the
imagination helps to have a creative life. They daydream, their
daydreams can constitute a form of escapism and allow them
access a rich inner world.
Low scores: More prosaic, concrete subjects. They prefer
keep your mind occupied with your work. Solve tasks
immediate.
O2: AESTHETICS High scores: Interest and deep appreciation for aesthetics and beauty,
and by artistic activities. They are excited by poetry, music, the
art. It does not necessarily indicate that they have artistic talent, nor good
taste.
Low scores: Little sensitivity and interest in art and beauty.
O3: FEELINGS High scores: Indicates receptivity to feelings and emotions
own. They can differentiate emotional states. Subjects who
they give deep importance to emotional life, they feel both affections
positives as well as negatives with more intensity than the others.

Low scores: Characterizes subjects who attach little importance to the

emotions, feel affections more superficially.

O4: ACTIONS High scores: People who prefer novelty and variety over
before familiarity and routine. They demonstrate a willingness to try
different activities, going to new places, trying foods that you haven't
they are used to. Subjects that reject the routine and
conventional and seek the different, the novel, the variety.
They devote their free time to various hobbies.
Low scores: conventional, routine people,
they find it difficult to change, they remain in what is known.
They prefer to stick to what has been tried and tested.
O5:IDEAS High scores: Indicates intellectual curiosity. Active pursuit of
intellectual interests for their own satisfaction. Liberalism,
voluntarism of considering new and unconventional ideas. They are
subjects interested in intellectual arguments, of
broad mindset. They enjoy philosophical discussions and games of
ingenuity. It is not necessarily associated with intelligence.
Low scores: They are people who are not very curious, who generally
they focus their interests on specific topics. If the subject is very
intelligent, will focus its attention on limited topics.
VALUES High scores: Evidence of high aptitude or willingness to
reconsider different social, political, and religious values.
They reveal someone who is not very dogmatic, willing to contrast different
types of values.
Low scores: Characterizes people with a tendency to respect the
authority and the tradition of honor, conservatives. They are subjects
closed, accept what is established.

AGREEMENT (A)
Kindness
Evidence the modality of interpersonal relationships. Assess the ability to establish bonds.
psychosocial, altruism, the tendency to care for others.
High scores: Generally altruistic people who can empathize with others.

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They feel comfortable helping others and assume the same feelings in others.
Low scores: They tend to be unfriendly and unpleasant to others. People
egocentric and suspicious of the intentions of others. They tend to be more oppositional.
what collaborators.
FACETS
TRUST High scores: Willingness to believe that others are honest and good
intended.
Low scores: They tend to be cynical and skeptical. They distrust.
intentions of others, coming to think that the other may be
dangerous or not very honorable.
FRANKNESS High scores: Being frank and sincere subjects, they can be somewhat
naive. They trust in the honesty and good intentions of the
others.
Low scores: They reveal a fear of disappointment. They are subjects who
they want to manipulate others through flattery, cunning or the
deception. They consider these tactics as social skills
necessary. In low scores, it should not be considered as a scale
which evaluates lies.
A3: ALTRUISM High scores: They show great concern for well-being
from others, they are generous, considerate, and collaborative. Willing to
to lend a hand when others need it.
Low scores: Self-centered person, reluctant to get involved in the
problems of others. They do not care about others' conflicts.
SUBMISSION High scores: In the face of interpersonal conflicts, they are subjects
peaceful individuals, forgive and forget. They demonstrate the ability to inhibit the
aggression.
Low scores: they prefer to compete aggressively in their style.
They openly express their feelings of anger.
A5: MODESTY High scores: They are humble and withdrawn subjects. It does not indicate a lack of
self-security. They seek to remain unnoticed.
Low scores: They think they are superior to others. Others usually
to perceive them as conceited and arrogant subjects.
A6: AFFECTION High scores: They manifest attitudes of sympathy and concern
for others. They experience feelings of pity and solidarity.
They give importance to the human aspect of social norms.
Low scores: They tend to be insensitive, with little ability to
feel compassion. They perceive themselves as rational and realistic subjects.

SCRUPULOSITY (C)
Responsibility
It encompasses a sense of duty, the need for achievements, and emotional and behavioral self-control.
Evaluate the ability to control impulses, act with clear purposes and goals,
plan, organize and carry out projects and ideas.
High scorers: They are decisive, punctual, and reliable people.
Low Scores: They are less strict when applying moral principles. They tend to
neglect or abandon your goals.
FACETS
COMPETENCE High scores: People who consider themselves well prepared for
facing life. They have a personal sense of being capable,
efficient, prudent, and effective.
Low scores: Low opinion of their skills, admits

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 frequently lacking preparation, considered inept.
C2: ORDER High scores: They are neat, orderly, and well-organized individuals.
Low scores: They have difficulties organizing themselves, perceiving themselves
also to themselves as disordered subjects.
COMPLIANCE High scores: Individuals who strictly adhere to their principles
ethical and scrupulously adhere to their moral principles.
Low scores: Does not respect moral obligations with intensity.
They can be unreliable people. Low adherence to principles.
ethical.
C4: SEARCH OF High scores: They demonstrate high aspirations, they are concerned with working
ACHIEVEMENTS hard for the achievement of their goals. Diligent people with a
sense of direction for what they want from their lives.
Low scores: Lazy or negligent people, do not seek success
as a life goal. They lack ambitions and may lack
objectives. They appear satisfied with their low level of performance.
C5: SELF-DISCIPLINE High scores: They are individuals who start a task and carry it out.
good term, despite the boredom or other distractions. It
they motivate to carry out their work.
Low scores: They usually procrastinate the activities they need to perform.
delaying its start. He quickly becomes discouraged and wants to give up.
his chores easily.
C6: REFLECTION High scores: People who think carefully before
act. They appear cautious and reflective.
Low scores: They tend to be hasty in their way of speaking or
they act, not considering the consequences of their actions or
expressions. They are spontaneous and can make decisions with
speed, when an immediate response is required.

REFERENCES

-Costa, P.T., Jr., & McCrae, R.R (1992). NEO-PI-R Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: PAR
Leibovich de Figueroa, N. and Schmidt, V. (2009). Personality Characteristics from the
Perspective of Another Observer. Inter-American Journal of Psychology, Vol 43, Num 2 pp. 405-
413
Leibovich de Figueroa, N. B. (1996). Towards a new conception of evaluation in
Personality (NEO-PI-R) (File No. 13) University of Buenos Aires, Faculty of Psychology.
McCrae, R.R. and Terracciano, A. (2005) Personality Profiles of Cultures: Aggregate Personality
Traits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology In the public domain. Vol. 89, No. 3,
407–425. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.[Link]

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