The resilient, the restraint and the restless: Personality types based on the Alternative Five-Factor Model

Using data from two samples and >1000 participants (drawn from the general population), the present research investigated personality types based on the Alternative Five-Factor Model (AFFM). Study 1 (n = 774) identified three personality prototypes (using cluster analysis) and provided support for their internal validity, using a double-cross validation approach. The three identified types were labeled resilient (low Neuroticism-Anxiety and Aggression-Hostility, high Sociability and Activity, and an average level of Impulsive Sensation Seeking), overcontrolled (high Neuroticism-Anxiety, average Aggression-Hostility and low levels of the other factors) and strain (average level of Activity and high levels of the other factors). Study 2 (n = 332) provided evidence for the external validity of the identified personality types, by revealing several differences between them in terms of self-reported behavioral preferences. These findings were discussed and compared with research on personality types based on the Five-Factor Model, with several similarities emerging.