Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Model

The 16PF Questionnaire has been used in a wide variety of settings. Application of the individual differences measurements can be seen in basic research, counselling, and educational, medical/clinical settings. The questionnaire capability to offer widespread, objective data in a resourceful manner makes it a principally influential tool for industrial applications, such as employee recruitment. Although the main focus of the 16PF Questionnaire is to quantify of the primary factors of personality, it was also used in counselling and clinical settings to present a cohesive representation of the whole person. Since the first publication of 16PF Questionnaire in 1949, five major revisions were commenced in 1956, 1962, 1968, and in 1993 (Cattell, H., & Mead, A. 2008).

Nevertheless, despite the significant contribution to personality research by use of factor analysis Cattell’s theory is criticized. The most recognizable criticism of Cattell 's Sixteen Personality Factor Model is that regardless of numerous efforts the theory has never been completely reproduced. According to Howarth and Brown’s (1971) founding’s, there was ten factors that were unsuccessful to relate to characteristics presented in the 16PF model. Researchers stated that the model does not measure the factors at the primary level as it supposed to (Fehriinger, 2004). Additionally, Sell et al. (1970) and Eysenck and Eysenck (1969) as well failed to confirm primary level of the 16PF (Schuerger, Zarrella, & Hotz,