Background: When a company is employing new salespeople, much is expected from these. The company is hoping that the new candidate is going to perform well and contribute to the fullest. One of the big questions that the organization has to face is how to evaluate and sift through sales candidates in order to find the best suited one. Previous studies have shown to some extent that a person's personality can be connected to how well they are performing in different occupations. One commonly used framework for assessing personality is the Five Factor Model (FFM) which is able to account for different traits without overlapping. One way to assess a person's personality traits is by the use of the big five inventory questionnaire (BFI). Purpose: To describe if there is a correlation between personality traits and sales performance in the Swedish car dealership market.Method: The research was a quantitative study of two Swedish car dealerships, where 60 out of 72 employees at Hedin Bil & Holmgrens Bil answered the BFI questionnaire. The response rate was 83%. The survey was sent out by mail to the two companies whose responsible managers divided their sales staff in three different groups (good performing, average performing and bad performing) according to the company's organizational goals.Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that one of the hypotheses was supported and four rejected by the salespeople participating. The only hypothesis that was supported was that Neuroticism would correlate negatively with sales performance.

According to attachment theory, the establishment of an attachment bond to a caregiver not only provides the infant with protection from danger, but also many other resources presumably beneficial to the child’s general psychological development. Although there is substantial empirical support for a link between attachment security and social functioning in childhood and adolescence, less is known about whether childhood attachment contributes to social functioning beyond adolescence. Similarly, attachment has been found predictive of broad aspects of a person’s functioning, but few attempts have been made to link attachment to the currently dominating perspective on personality, the Five Factor Model (FFM). Results in Study I partially supported our expectations, by showing prospective links from middle childhood security to various aspects of social functioning in young adulthood. Further, security contributed to developmental change in social functioning from middle childhood to young adulthood. In Study II, middle childhood security was found to predict some of the FFM personality traits (primarily extraversion and openness) concurrently and prospectively, partially supporting our expectations. The third aim of this thesis was to address whether attachment disorganization, which has usually been found predictive of maladaptive phenomena, may predict also other, non-pathological outcomes. In Study II, we found that higher levels of disorganization in young adulthood were concurrently associated with more openness and lower conscientiousness. Furthermore, in Study III disorganization was shown to be concurrently associated with more New Age spirituality and more absorption in adulthood. In addition, absorption was, in accordance with our expectations, found to statistically mediate the link between disorganization and New Age spirituality. Hence, these findings supported our assumption that disorganization might be expressed in other life domains besides specifically maladaptive ones. Taken together, we suggest that attachment spreads its influence to a broad set of life domains through its continuous influence on general psychological components such as cognitive representations and self-regulation abilities. However, the modest strength of our results indicates that attachment is only one among several factors involved in the development of social functioning, personality traits, and spirituality.

There is relatively little research based on the Big Five personality dimensions and job satisfaction and the relationship thereof. Job satisfaction of employees is a good indication of organisational effectiveness and is influenced by organisational and dispositional factors. The fundamental nature of the dispositional approach is that individuals have stable traits that significantly influence their affective and behavioural reactions to organisational settings. Job satisfaction can be considered a general feeling of well-being experienced by any employee about the work he or she does or as a related collection of attitudes about various aspects of the job. Employees, who perform at higher levels, will most likely make a greater contribution in the organisation. These individual's are more likely to achieve greater status; thus the importance of having satisfied employees in any organisation. The general objective of this study was to determine the relationship between personality dimensions and job satisfaction of engineers in a petro-chemical organisation. A cross-sectional survey design was used in the empirical study. The sample consisted of 89 junior to middle level engineers within a petro-chemical organisation. The Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Personality Characteristics Inventory (PCI) were administered. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlation coefficients and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the measuring instruments. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which personality dimensions were the best predictors of job satisfaction. The current research found that employees who are more stable and introverted tend to be more satisfied with achievement, independence as well as human and technical supervision at the work place. It was also established that extraverted and sociable individuals in the organization are less satisfied with human supervision. The findings of this research showed that some personality dimensions are related to aspects of job satisfaction However, overall personality dimensions explained relatively small percentages in the variance of job satisfaction. Because of this, the situational frame of reference, which is most common at present within the workplace, as well as the frame of reference that most supports this research, job satisfaction/dissatisfaction, is alleged to result from the nature of the job or h m the conditions at work. This basically epitomizes the effects of situational forces on workers' job attitudes. The results showed that subscales predicted job satisfaction to a greater extent than personality dimensions. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Abstract The aim of this study was to understand the relationships among the personality traits, risk attitudes, risk management practices, and decision making processes of dairy farmers in SE Queensland. Risk management and decision making processes are two of many components of managerial ability. The hypothesis was proposed that dairy farmers’ personalities influence their risk attitudes, decision making processes, and risk management abilities. Case studies of 46 dairy farmers in SE Queensland involving the completion of personality inventories (NEO-PI-R) based on the Five-Factor Model of personality; questionnaires and informal interviews were used to test the hypotheses. The thesis contains three parts. The first part, Chapter 1, is the introduction to the thesis. The second part of the thesis, Chapter 2 through Chapter 6, consists of an extensive review of the literature on the major topics pertinent to the project. In Chapter 2, a definition of “competence” in the context of this study is given, and an explanation of the evidence for a connection between personality and competence and thus job performance is detailed. In Chapter 3, the literature on personality is reviewed with particular emphasis on trait theory and the development of the Five-Factor Model of personality (FFM). In Chapter 4, the literature review on personality assessment using testing instruments designed for use in the context of the FFM is presented, and the rationale for the personality test instrument is expounded. It is the task of the manager to manage risk, so that considering risk attitude when making decisions is also an integral part of the study of the role of managers. Chapter 5 reviews the contemporary literature on risk and risk management with an emphasis on the application of risk management principles to dairy farms. In Chapter 6, the literature on decision theory is reviewed. Decision-making and risk management are intertwined. The behaviour resulting from the process of making a decision reflects the personality and risk attitude of the decision-maker. In this chapter, the distinction is made between formal and informal models of decision making, and examples are given. The third part of the project comprises Chapters 7 through Chapter 11. Chapter 7 outlines the research approach used – case studies - and paves the way for the following two chapters, which present a qualitative and a quantitative analysis of the data from the case studies. Chapter 8 presents part 1 of the investigation - the qualitative analysis of the case studies. This chapter introduces and explains the terminology used in the questionnaire and examines the trends and feeling in the farmers’ answers. Chapter 9 presents part 2 of the analysis – quantitative results of the personality assessments and interviews from the case studies with SE Queensland dairy farmers which were conducted to assess their risk management and decision making abilities. Chapter 10 provides a summary of the research findings, and then discusses the results with respect to the diverse responses of farmers to common external pressures. The chapter discusses the relevance of personality to the formation of management strategy and concludes with a short introduction to systems thinking as a way of thinking about the complex systems inherent in dairy farming. Chapter 11 reviews the subjects covered in the thesis and draws conclusions from the research. It outlines implications for policy makers and managers and proposes directions for further research in this area of investigation. Key Words: Five-Factor Model of Personality, risk, decision making processes, dairy farmers, management

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 69-81). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D. in counseling)--Liberty University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

The aim of this study is to increase our knowledge about the correlation between personality andself-esteem. A survey containing two instruments was spread through Facebook. The first instrument was a translation of Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965) that measured the degree of self-rated self-esteem. The second instrument was a self-formulated personality test that measured the degree of extraversion and every facet of this personality trait.The questions answered in this study are (1) if there is a correlation between self-esteem and extraversion, (2) how strong the correlations are between self-esteem and the individual facets of extraversion, (3) which facets that have a significant impact on self-esteem and lastly (4) how high the internal consistency of the instruments used in this study is. All data was processed in SPSS and to answer the questions correlation- and regression analyzes as well as Cronbach's alpha were used.The study reports two results - one that includes all questions in the survey and one that only includes questions that were considered to have high internal consistency according to Cronbach's alpha. Both results show a correlation between extraversion and self-esteem. The first result showsa correlation between self-esteem and the facets activity level, warmth, assertiveness and positivefeelings, but to different degrees. The second result shows a correlation between self-esteem and every facet. Both results show that the facets positive feelings and assertiveness significantly correlateswith self-esteem, but the second result shows that the activity level also significantly correlates withself-esteem. Both instruments showed high internal consistency measured with Cronbach's alpha. / Syftet med denna studie är att öka kunskapen kring sambandet mellan personlighet och självkänsla.En enkät innehållande två instrument spreds via plattformen Facebook. Det första instrumentet var en översättning av Rosenbergs self-esteem scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1965) som mätte graden av självskattad självkänsla. Andra instrumentet var ett egenformulerat personlighetstest som mätte graden av extraversion samt varje fasett inom denna personlighetsegenskap. De frågeställningar som besvaras i denna undersökning är (1) ifall det finns ett samband mellan självkänsla och extraversion,(2) hur starka sambanden är mellan självkänsla och de enskilda fasetterna inom extraversion, (3) vilka fasetter som har en betydelse för självkänsla samt (4) hur hög den interna konsistensen är hos de instrument som använts. All data behandlades i SPSS och för att besvara frågeställningarna användeskorrelations- och regressionsanalyser samt Cronbachs alfa. Studien redovisar två resultat - ett som inkluderar alla frågor i enkäten och ett som endast inkluderar de frågor som ansetts ha hög internkonsistens enligt Cronbachs alfa. Båda resultaten visar ett samband mellan extraversion och självkänsla. Första resultatet visar samband mellan självkänsla och fasetterna aktivitetsnivå, värme,bestämdhet och positiva känslor, men i olika hög grad. Andra resultatet visar samband mellan självkänsla och samtliga fasetter. Båda resultaten visar att fasetterna positiva känslor och bestämdhet har ett signifikant samband med självkänsla men andra resultatet visar även att aktivitetsnivån har ettsignifikant samband. Båda instrumenten visade hög intern konsistens mätt med Cronbachs alfa.

Esse projeto visou a construção, validação e normatização de escalas para a avaliação dos Fatores Extroversão e Socialização no modelo dos Cinco Grandes Fatores de Personalidade. A partir deste Modelo, Socialização é uma dimensão da personalidade que agrupa traços como altruísmo, franqueza, confiança nas pessoas, bem como frieza, falta de empatia, comportamentos antisociais, etc. Extroversão engloba traços que descrevem nível de comunicação, assertividade, gregariedade, busca por diversão, etc. A validade de construto da Escala Fatorial de Socialização (EFS) e Escala Fatorial de Extroversão (EFE) foi realizada a partir de amostras independentes compostas por aproximadamente 1.100 pessoas de cinco estados brasileiros, de ambos os sexos, com nível de escolarização médio ou superior. Foram realizadas análises fatoriais para a verificação da dimensionalidade da EFS, sendo que a solução de três fatores foi considerada a mais adequada. Os fatores extraídos foram denominados Amabilidade, Pró-sociabilidade e Confiança nas pessoas, com Alpha’s de 0,91; 0,84 e 0,80 respectivamente. A escala geral apresentou uma consistência interna de 0,92. Foram realizadas análises fatoriais para a verificação da dimensionalidade da EFE, sendo que a solução de quatro fatores foi considerada a mais adequada. Os fatores extraídos foram denominados Comunicação, Altivez, Assertividade, Interação Social, com Alpha’s de 0,90; 0,78; 0,78 e 0,83 respectivamente. A escala geral apresentou uma consistência interna de 0,91. / The present project aimed the development, validation and standardization of scales to measure Extraversion and Agreeableness in the Five Factor Model of Personality. In this model, Agreeableness is comprised by traits that describe altruism, straightforwardness, trust in people, as well as coldness, antisocial behavior, among others. Extraversion includes traits that describe level of communication, assertivity, gregariousness, search for pleasure, among others. The participants in the construct validity study of the Agreeableness Factorial Scale (EFS) and Extraversion Factorial Scale (EFE) were approximately 1.100 individuals, from five States in Brazil, of both sexes, with high school or university level of education. Factor analyses were conducted to determine the EFS dimensions. A 3-factor solution was found to be more adequate. The factors found were named: Amiableness, Pro-social behavior, and Trust. Cronbach’s alphas were .91, .84, and .80 respectively. The general scale presented an internal consistency level of .92. Factor analyses were also conducted to verify the EFE dimensions. A 4-factor solution was found to be more adequate. The factors found were named: Communication, Pride, Assertiveness, and Social Interaction. Cronbach’s alphas were .90, .78, .78, and .83 respectively. The general scale presented internal consistency level of .91.

Personality tests are often utilized in employment selection. Their wide use may be attributed to various studies which suggest that personality is related to job performance. Although personality is widely utilized in various assessment contexts including but not limited to personnel selection settings, both researcher and practitioners continue to criticize the use of measures due to faking behavior or response distortion. Furthermore, these criticisms are warranted because laboratory studies have consistently found that when instructed, respondents are able to alter their scores in order to appear more desirable. Additionally, there is also conforming evidence from field studies which suggest that 20 - 30% of real-world applicants fake in order to gain a competitive advantage in being hired. Faking studies generally define successful faking as the obtainment of the highest scores possible. This study used a recent and alternative conceptualization of successful faking. More specifically, faking is defined as successful if an applicant is able to match his or her responses on a personality test to the perception of what subject matter experts would consider critical traits for success to that job. Psychology and Business students were assigned to an `honest' or `faking' condition and asked to complete a personality test. Students in the honest condition were instructed to describe themselves honest, while students in the faking condition were instructed to describe themselves in the context of applying for a fictional customer service representative position. Additionally, all students completed a measure of emotional intelligence and cognitive ability. Subject matter experts were then surveyed on what they thought was the ideal characteristics for the fictitious position. This study found that business students who were given instructions to fake were able to fake better (obtain a greater match) than psychology students instructed to fake. Furthermore, individual characteristics such as job familiarity, cognitive ability, and emotional intelligence were examined in relation to faking success. Results indicated that only emotional intelligence was predictive of similarity. Moreover, the subscales of use of emotions and regulation of emotions were predicative of similarity. Finally, the limitations of the study and implications of results are presented and discussed further.

Esse projeto visou a construção, validação e normatização de escalas para a avaliação dos Fatores Extroversão e Socialização no modelo dos Cinco Grandes Fatores de Personalidade. A partir deste Modelo, Socialização é uma dimensão da personalidade que agrupa traços como altruísmo, franqueza, confiança nas pessoas, bem como frieza, falta de empatia, comportamentos antisociais, etc. Extroversão engloba traços que descrevem nível de comunicação, assertividade, gregariedade, busca por diversão, etc. A validade de construto da Escala Fatorial de Socialização (EFS) e Escala Fatorial de Extroversão (EFE) foi realizada a partir de amostras independentes compostas por aproximadamente 1.100 pessoas de cinco estados brasileiros, de ambos os sexos, com nível de escolarização médio ou superior. Foram realizadas análises fatoriais para a verificação da dimensionalidade da EFS, sendo que a solução de três fatores foi considerada a mais adequada. Os fatores extraídos foram denominados Amabilidade, Pró-sociabilidade e Confiança nas pessoas, com Alpha’s de 0,91; 0,84 e 0,80 respectivamente. A escala geral apresentou uma consistência interna de 0,92. Foram realizadas análises fatoriais para a verificação da dimensionalidade da EFE, sendo que a solução de quatro fatores foi considerada a mais adequada. Os fatores extraídos foram denominados Comunicação, Altivez, Assertividade, Interação Social, com Alpha’s de 0,90; 0,78; 0,78 e 0,83 respectivamente. A escala geral apresentou uma consistência interna de 0,91. / The present project aimed the development, validation and standardization of scales to measure Extraversion and Agreeableness in the Five Factor Model of Personality. In this model, Agreeableness is comprised by traits that describe altruism, straightforwardness, trust in people, as well as coldness, antisocial behavior, among others. Extraversion includes traits that describe level of communication, assertivity, gregariousness, search for pleasure, among others. The participants in the construct validity study of the Agreeableness Factorial Scale (EFS) and Extraversion Factorial Scale (EFE) were approximately 1.100 individuals, from five States in Brazil, of both sexes, with high school or university level of education. Factor analyses were conducted to determine the EFS dimensions. A 3-factor solution was found to be more adequate. The factors found were named: Amiableness, Pro-social behavior, and Trust. Cronbach’s alphas were .91, .84, and .80 respectively. The general scale presented an internal consistency level of .92. Factor analyses were also conducted to verify the EFE dimensions. A 4-factor solution was found to be more adequate. The factors found were named: Communication, Pride, Assertiveness, and Social Interaction. Cronbach’s alphas were .90, .78, .78, and .83 respectively. The general scale presented internal consistency level of .91.