Table 4.
Empirically Derived Adult Personality Subtypes (N=359)
| Q-Factor 1: Inhibited (N=90) | Factor Score (SD Units) |
|---|---|
| Tends to be passive and unassertive. | 3.15 |
| Tends to feel s/he is inadequate, inferior, or a failure. | 2.81 |
| Has trouble acknowledging or expressing anger toward others, and instead becomes depressed, self-critical, self-punitive, etc. (i.e., turns anger against self). | 2.81 |
| Has difficulty acknowledging or expressing anger. | 2.53 |
| Tends to be shy or self-conscious in social situations. | 2.35 |
| Tends to feel ashamed or embarrassed. | 2.34 |
| Tends to feel unhappy, depressed, or despondent. | 2.34 |
| Tends to feel guilty (e.g., may blame self or feel responsible for bad things that happen). | 2.29 |
| Has trouble making decisions; tends to be indecisive or to vacillate when faced with choices. | 2.25 |
| Tends to feel anxious. | 2.25 |
| Q-Factor 2: High-Functioning (N=92) | |
|---|---|
| Is articulate; can express self well in words. | 3.54 |
| Tends to be conscientious and responsible. | 3.34 |
| Enjoys challenges; takes pleasure in accomplishing things. | 2.76 |
| Is able to use his/her talents, abilities, and energy effectively and productively. | 2.62 |
| Has a good sense of humor. | 2.58 |
| Has moral and ethical standards and strives to live up to them. | 2.41 |
| Tends to be liked by other people. | 2.31 |
| Is psychologically insightful; is able to understand self and others in subtle and sophisticated ways. | 2.27 |
| Tends to be energetic and outgoing. | 2.22 |
| Is capable of hearing information that is emotionally threatening (i.e., that challenges cherished beliefs, perceptions, and self-perceptions) and can use and benefit from it. | 2.17 |
| Q-Factor 3: Externalizing (62) | |
|---|---|
| Tends to abuse drugs or alcohol. | 2.89 |
| Tends to be angry or hostile (whether consciously or unconsciously). | 2.75 |
| Tends to act impulsively (e.g., acts without forethought or concern for consequences). | 2.55 |
| Tends to get into power struggles. | 2.53 |
| Tends to blame own failures or shortcomings on other people or circumstances; attributes his/her difficulties to external factors rather than accepting responsibility for own conduct or choices. | 2.32 |
| Has little psychological insight into own motives, behavior, etc. | 2.32 |
| Is prone to intense anger, out of proportion to the situation at hand (e.g., has rage episodes). | 2.15 |
| Has little empathy; seems unable or unwilling to understand or respond to others’ needs or feelings. | 2.15 |
| Tends to be manipulative. | 2.12 |
| Tends to be conflicted about authority (e.g., may feel s/he must submit, rebel against, win over, defeat, etc.). | 2.05 |
| Q-Factor 4: Emotionally Dysregulated (N=75) | |
|---|---|
| Emotions tend to spiral out of control, leading to extremes of anxiety, sadness, rage, etc. | 3.68 |
| Is prone to painful feelings of emptiness (e.g., may feel lost, bereft, abjectly alone even in the presence of others, etc.). | 3.11 |
| Tends to fear s/he will be rejected or abandoned. | 2.62 |
| Tends to feel unhappy, depressed, or despondent. | 2.57 |
| Emotions tend to change rapidly and unpredictably. | 2.43 |
| Is unable to soothe or comfort him/herself without the help of another person (i.e., has difficulty regulating own emotions). | 2.33 |
| Lacks a stable sense of who s/he is (e.g., attitudes, values, goals, and feelings about self seem unstable or ever-changing). | 2.30 |
| Tends to feel s/he is inadequate, inferior, or a failure. | 2.25 |
| Tends to become irrational when strong emotions are stirred up; may show a significant decline from customary level of functioning. | 2.19 |
| Repeatedly re-experiences or re-lives a past traumatic event (e.g., has intrusive memories or recurring dreams of the event; is startled or terrified by present events that resemble or symbolize the past event). | 1.97 |
| Q-Factor 5: Reactive/Somatizing (30) | |
|---|---|
| Tends to develop somatic symptoms in response to stress or conflict (e.g., headache, backache, abdominal pain, asthma, etc.). | 2.91 |
| Tends to hold grudges; may dwell on insults or slights for long periods. | 2.77 |
| Tends to be critical of others. | 2.62 |
| Tends to feel misunderstood, mistreated, or victimized. | 2.25 |
| Tends to ruminate; may dwell on problems, replay conversations in his/her mind, become preoccupied with thoughts about what could have been, etc. | 2.16 |
| Tends to have extreme reactions to perceived slights or criticism (e.g., may react with rage, humiliation, etc.). | 2.04 |
| Tends to be controlling. | 2.01 |
| When upset, has trouble perceiving both positive and negative qualities in the same person at the same time (e.g., may see others in black or white terms, shift suddenly from seeing someone as caring to seeing him/her as malevolent and intentionally hurtful, etc.). | 1.89 |
| Tends to feel anxious. | 1.88 |
| Tends to be self-righteous or moralistic. | 1.86 |