The General Factor of Personality (GFP) Relates to Other Ratings of Character and Integrity: Two validity studies in personnel selection and training of the Dutch armed forces

Abstract

In two studies, we tested whether scores on the general factor of personality (GFP) are associated with other ratings of character and integrity. In Study 1, a total of 3,670 applicants for a military job filled out personality surveys and went through a selection interview. GFPs extracted from two different personality surveys showed meaningful relationships with the job suitability judgments based on the interviews. In Study 2, supervisors rated the integrity of participants (N = 167) who followed a 4-month military training at the Royal Dutch Military Police. GFPs extracted from three different surveys were correlated with integrity. The findings imply that the GFP is associated with behavioral outcomes, and that the GFP is potentially relevant for personnel selection and appraisal.

Is There a Genetic Correlation Between General Factors of Intelligence and Personality?

“…In defense of the substantive status of a GFP, twin studies have shown it to be substantially heritable (Loehlin & Martin, 2011; Veselka et al, 2009), and to show relationships with measures of social effectiveness and ratings of character and integrity (Dunkel & van der Linden, 2014; van der Linden et al, 2014). Rushton et al (2008) proposed an evolutionary origin of the GFP: namely, that it was a result of selection on a set of traits contributing to social effectiveness and thus to reproductive success.…”

Construct-Overlap in Trait Measures and the General Factor of Personality

“…This is also referred to as the D factor in dark traits. Previous studies have examined the direct correlations between the core of the Dark Triad and the GFP (Kowalski et al, 2016;Van der Linden et al, 2014).…”

Establishing the Substantive Interpretation of the GFP by Considering Evidence from Research on Personality Disorders and Animal Personality

“…In a large meta-analysis, van der Linden et al ( 2017 ) showed that the GFP has almost complete overlap (ρ = 0.88) with trait emotional intelligence and moderate associations (ρ = 0.28) with ability emotional intelligence. A second line of evidence shows that the GFP relates to various criteria of social success, including peer-rated likeability and popularity and higher ratings on several objective socio-economic performance indicators (van der Linden et al, 2010b , 2014a , b ). Those findings are in accordance with the view that the GFP does not merely reflect bias, but instead arise because high-GFP individuals genuinely tend to behave in a more socially desirable manner, while low GFP scores would be associated with problematic social behavior, including violence, delinquency, and impulsive sensation-seeking.…”