The Estonian version of the NEO-PI-R: An examination of universal and culture-specific aspects of the five-factor model

In this article, we examine universal and culture-specific aspects of the F ive-Factor Model measured with the Revised NEO Personality Inventory. First , our purpose was to rest the replicability of the original (North American ) factor structure in the Estonian-speaking population. The translation was administered to 711 Estonian men and women aged 18 to 82, When the 30 face t scales were factored, parallel analysis suggested that Jive components sh ould be retained. In the interpersonal plane defined by Extraversion and Ag reeableness factors, Estonian facets formed a semicircular array that resem bled the American pattern at a distance of about 21 degrees. After these ax es were aligned by Procrustes rotation, all five factor congruences exceede d 0.96, providing further evidence that the underlying five-factor structur e of the personality instrument is replicable in languages and cultures whi ch differ substantially from those in which it was originally identified Se cond we tested the hypothesis that the orientation of varimax axes in the i nterpersonal plane is associated with the culture's degree of individualism -collectivism. We calculated the angular degree of difference between E and A factors in the American sample and in 21 other available samples, correl ated it with individualism ratings, and found mixed support for the hypothe sis, suggesting that continued research on this issue is merited Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.