Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Research Article

Being Flexible in Zuckerman’s Alternative Personality Space

Relationships Between Psychological Flexibility and the Alternative Five-Factor of Personality

Published Online:December 15, 2023https://doi.org/10.1027/1614-0001/a000416

Abstract

Abstract: Psychological flexibility has attracted significant research interest but surprisingly, investigations about the relationships with personality traits from the biological models of personality have been neglected. The present study therefore aimed to shed more light on the nature of the relationship between psychological flexibility and personality dimensions from Zuckerman’s Alternative Five-Factor Model (AFFM) based on a sample of 398 adults. Psychological flexibility was negatively associated with neuroticism and positively associated with extraversion, aggressiveness, and sensation seeking. Lower neuroticism, higher extraversion, and being a woman significantly predicted approximately 39% of the variance in psychological flexibility. A joint exploratory factor analysis found psychological flexibility located in the neuroticism factor of personality. Findings show that the AFFM can be used as an adequate personality model in explaining the nature of psychological flexibility-inflexibility based on the associations between their sub-processes and lower levels of personality traits. The nature of the relationships between psychological flexibility with both sensation seeking and aggressiveness requires closer investigation.

References

  • Aluja, A. (2019). In memoriam of Marvin Zuckerman: His impact on Spanish psychology. Psicothema, 31(2), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2019.35 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Aluja, A., García, Ó., & García, L. F. (2002). A comparative study of Zuckerman’s three structural models for personality through the NEO-PI-R, ZKPQ-III-R, EPQ-RS and Goldberg’s 50-bipolar adjectives. Personality and Individual Differences, 33(5), 713–726. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(01)00186-6 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Aluja, A., García, Ó., & García, L. F. (2004). Replicability of the three, four and five Zuckerman’s personality super-factors: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the EPQ-RS, ZKPQ and NEO-PI-R. Personality and Individual Differences, 36(5), 1093–1108. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(03)00203-4 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Aluja, A., Lucas, I., Blanch, A., García, O., & García, L. F. (2018). The Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire shortened form (ZKA-PQ/SF). Personality and Individual Differences, 134, 174–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2018.06.015 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Aluja, A., García, L. F., Rossier, J., Ostendorf, F., Glicksohn, J., Oumar, B., Bellaj, T., Ruch, W., Wang, W., Suranyi, Z., Ścigała, D., Čekrlija, Đ., Stivers, A. W., Blas, L. D., Valdivia, M., Ben Jemaa, S., Atitsogbe, K. A., & Hansenne, M. (2022). Dark triad traits, social position, and personality: A cross-cultural study. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 53(3–4), 380–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221211072816 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Aluja, A., Rossier, J., Oumar, B., García, L. F., Bellaj, T., Ostendorf, F., Ruch, W., Wang, W., Kövi, Z., Ścigała, D., Čekrlija, Đ., Stivers, A. W., Di Blas, L., Valdivia, M., Ben Jemaa, S., Atitsogbe, K. A., Hansenne, M., & Glicksohn, J. (2020). Multicultural Validation of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire Shortened Form (ZKA-PQ/SF) Across 18 Countries. Assessment, 27(4), 728–748. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191119831770 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bartlett, M. S. (1951). A further note on tests of significance in factor analysis. British Journal of Psychology, 4, 1–2. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bond, F. W., Hayes, S. C., Baer, R. A., Carpenter, K. M., Guenole, N., Orcutt, H. K., Waltz, T., & Zettle, R. D. (2011). Preliminary psychometric properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire – II: A revised measure of psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance. Behavior Therapy, 42(4), 676–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2011.03.007 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Čekrlija, Đ. (2023). Supplemental materials to “Being flexible in Zuckerman’s alternative personality space: Relationships between psychological flexibility and the Alternative Five-Factors of personality”. https://osf.io/v5cty/ First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Čekrlija, Đ., Mrđa, P., Vujaković, L., & Aluja, A. (2022). Relationship between humor styles and alternative five factors of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 194, Article 111625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2022.111625 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Cervone, D. (2005). Personality architecture: Within-person structures and processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 423–452. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.56.091103.070133 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Chesebro, J. L., & Martin, M. M. (2003). The relationship between conversational sensitivity, cognitive flexibility, verbal aggressiveness and indirect interpersonal aggressiveness. Communication Research Reports, 20(2), 143–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824090309388810 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Clarke, E., & Kiropoulos, L. A. (2021). Mediating the relationship between neuroticism and depressive, anxiety and eating disorder symptoms: The role of intolerance of uncertainty and cognitive flexibility. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, 4, Article 100101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100101 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Academic Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Dekel, R., & Baum, N. (2020). Mind the flexibility gap: Examining psychological flexibility in individuals living under conditions of war. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 941. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00941 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Flaxman, P. E., & Bond, F. W. (2010). A randomized worksite comparison of acceptance and commitment therapy and stress inoculation training. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48(8), 816–820. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2010.05.004 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Garcia, L. F., Escorial, S., García, O., Blanch, A., & Aluja, A. (2012). Structural analysis of the facets and domains of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) and the NEO PI-R. Journal of Personality Assessment, 94(2), 156–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2011.645935 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hayes, S. C., Luoma, J. B., Bond, F. W., Masuda, A., & Lillis, J. (2006). Acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, processes and outcomes. Behavior Research and Therapy, 44(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.06.006 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. Guilford Press. First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Horn, J. L. (1965). A rationale and test for the number of factors in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 30(2), 179–185. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02289447 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Hutchinson, A., Stuart, A. D., & Pretorius, H. G. (2010). Biological contributions to well-being: The relationships amongst temperament, character strengths and resilience. Sa Journal of Industrial Psychology, 36, Article 10. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v36i2.844 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • IBM Corp. (2012). IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 21.0.) [Computer software]. https://www.ibm.com/spss First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • JASP Team. (2021). JASP (Version 0.14.1) [Computer software]. https://jasp-stats.org/ First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Jovanović, V. (2011). Personality and subjective well-being: One neglected model of personality and two forgotten aspects of subjective well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(5), 631–635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.12.008 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kaiser, H. F., & Rice, J. (1974). Little Jiffy, Mark Iv. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 34(1), 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447403400115 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kashdan, T. B., & Rottenberg, J. (2010). Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 865–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.001 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kocovski, N. L., Fleming, J. E., Hawley, L. L., Huta, V., & Antony, M. M. (2013). Mindfulness and acceptance-based group therapy versus traditional cognitive behavioral group therapy for social anxiety disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 51(12), 889–898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2013.10.007 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Kornreich, C., & Van Malderen, L. (2019). Acceptance and commitment therapy for refugees and asylum-seekers experiencing posttraumatic stress symptoms: A case series. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 26(2), 285–297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2018.08.003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Krnetić, I., & Vujaković, L. (2021). Psychological flexibility as a mediator of the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and manifestations of depression, anxiety and stress. Godišnjak za psihologiju, 18, 9–25. https://doi.org/10.46630/gpsi.18.2021.01 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levin, M. E., Haeger, J. A., Pierce, B. G., & Twohig, M. P. (2017). Web-based acceptance and commitment therapy for mental health problems in college students: A randomized controlled trial. Behavior Modification, 41(1), 141–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445516659645 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levin, M. E., Hildebrandt, M. J., Lillis, J., & Hayes, S. C. (2012). The impact of treatment conponents suggested by the psychological flexibility model: A meta-analysis of laboratory-based component studies. Behavior Therapy, 43(4), 741–756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2012.05.003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Levin, M. E., MacLane, C., Daflos, S., Seeley, J. R., Hayes, S. C., Biglan, A., & Pistorello, J. (2014). Examining psychological inflexibility as a transdiagnostic process across psychological disorders. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 3, 155–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2014.06.003 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Loya, A., Gopal, A., Shukla, I., Jermann, P., & Tormey, R. (2014). Conscientious behaviour, flexibility and learning in massive open on-line courses. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191(2), 519–525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.686 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • McAteer, G., & Gillanders, D. (2019). Investigating the role of psychological flexibility, masculine self-esteem and stoicism as predictors of psychological distress and quality of life in men living with prostate cancer. European Journal of Cancer Care, 28(4), Article e13097. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecc.13097 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Moreira, P. A. S., & Inman, R. A. (2021). Psychometric properties of the Comic Style Markers–Portuguese version: Applying bifactor and hierarchical approaches to studying broad versus narrow styles of humor. Humor. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2021-0039 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Powers, M. B., Zum Vörde Sive Vörding, M. B., & Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (2009). Acceptance and commitment therapy: A meta-analytic review. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 78(2), 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1159/000190790 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Pyszkowska, A., & Rönnlund, M. (2021). Psychological flexibility and self-compassion as predictors of well-being: Mediating role of a balanced time perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 671746. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.671746 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Rossier, J., Zecca, G., Stauffer, S. D., Maggiori, C., & Dauwalder, J. P. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in a French-speaking Swiss sample: Psychometric properties and relationships to personality and work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80, 734–743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.004 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Satici, S. A., Gocet-Tekin, E., Deniz, M. E., & Satici, B. (2020). Adaptation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Its association with psychological distress and life satisfaction in Turkey. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19, 1980–1988. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-020-00294-0 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Slot, M., Reijnders, J. S. A. M., Janssens, M., Simons, M. E., Lataster, J. J. E., & Jacobs, N. E. (2022). Psychological flexibility across the lifespan in Dutch adults: A cross-sectional study. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/tzdqj First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Steenhaut, P., Rossi, G., Demeyer, I., & De Raedt, R. (2019). How is personality related to well-being in older and younger adults? The role of psychological flexibility. International Psychogeriatrics, 31(9), 1355–1365. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1041610218001904 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Zuckerman, M. (2005). Psychobiology of personality (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Zuckerman, M., & Cloninger, C. R. (1996). Relationships between Cloninger’s, Zuckerman’s, and Eysenck’s dimensions of personality. Personality and individual differences, 21(2), 283–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(96)00042-6 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Zuckerman, M., Kuhlman, D. M., Joireman, J., Teta, P., & Kraft, M. (1993). A comparison of three structural models for personality: The Big Three, the Big Five, and the Alternative Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65(4), 757–768. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.65.4.757 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Žuljević, D., Rakočević, N., & Krnetić, I. (2020). Testing the model of psychological flexibility in the Serbian cultural context: The psychometric properties of the acceptance and action questionnaire. Psihologija, 53(2), 161–181. https://doi.org/10.2298/PSI191015006Z First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar