Indecisiveness and Big Five personality factors: Relationship and specificity

This study investigated the relationship of indecisiveness with the Big Five personality factors and the specificity of indecisiveness compared to the Big Five factors in the prediction of decisional problems. A sample of 543 adolescents was followed between the beginning and the end of Grade 12. Neuroticism turned out to be the strongest correlate of indecisiveness. Using cluster analysis on the Big Five factors three clusters were identified which resembled the overcontrolled, undercontrolled, and resilient clusters from previous research. The resilient cluster showed the lowest scores whereas the overcontrolled cluster showed the highest scores on indecisiveness. Finally, the effect of indecisiveness on decisional tasks remained significant after controlling for the Big Five factors, providing evidence for the specificity of indecisiveness.