Personality disorders and the five-factor model of personality

Data from three normal samples were used to examine links between personality disorder scales and measures of the five-factor model of personality. In the first study, self-reports, spouse ratings, and peer ratings on the NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI), a measure of the five basic factors of personality, were correlated with MMPI personality disorder scales in a sample of 297 adult volunteers. In the second study, self-reports on the NEO-PI were correlated with Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-I) scales in a sample of 207 adults; self-reports on the MCMI-II were examined in a sample of 62 students. Results generally replicated the findings of Wiggins and Pincus (1990), suggesting that the five-factor model encompasses dimensions of both normal and abnormal personality. Distinctions between the MMPI, MCMI-I, and MCMI-II scales are examined in light of the model, and suggestions are made for integrating traditional personality trait models with psychiatric conceptions of disorder.