16PF stands for the 16 Personality Factors or 'source traits' that were identified by Raymond Cattell in the 1930s

as being the main set of factors whereby a person can be classified. There are 16 Primary Factors, which have also been grouped into five global factors. Unlike some other systems, the focus of the 16PF is to identify characteristics without immediate concern for how they are applied.

The 16 Primary Factors

These are Cattells' original personality factors. Primary Factor Ref Low Reserved, impersonal, distant, cool, reserved, impersonal, detached, formal, aloof Concrete-thinking, lower general mental capacity, less intelligent, unable to handle abstract problems Reactive, emotionally changeable, affected by feelings, emotionally less stable, easily upset Deferential, cooperative, avoids conflict, submissive, humble, obedient, easily led, docile, accommodating High Warm, outgoing, attentive to others, kindly, easygoing, participating, likes people Abstract-thinking, more intelligent, bright, higher general mental capacity, fast learner Emotionally stable, adaptive, mature, faces reality, calm

Warmth

Reasoning

Emotional Stability

Dominance

Dominant, forceful, assertive, aggressive, competitive, stubborn, bossy Lively, animated, spontaneous, enthusiastic, happygo-lucky, cheerful, expressive, impulsive Rule-conscious, dutiful, conscientious, conforming, moralistic, staid, rule-bound Socially bold, venturesome, thickskinned, uninhibited, can take stress

Liveliness

Serious, restrained, prudent, taciturn, introspective, silent

RuleConsciousness

Expedient, nonconforming, disregards rules, selfindulgent

Social Boldness

Shy, threat-sensitive, timid, hesitant, intimidated

Sensitivity

Utilitarian, objective, unsentimental, toughminded, self-reliant, no-nonsense, rough Trusting, unsuspecting, accepting, unconditional, easy Grounded, practical, prosaic, solutionoriented, steady, conventional Forthright, genuine, artless, open, guileless, naive, unpretentious, involved Self-assured, unworried, complacent, secure, free of guilt, confident, self-satisfied Traditional, attached to familiar, conservative, respecting traditional ideas Group-oriented, affiliative, a joiner and follower, dependent Tolerates disorder, unexacting, flexible, undisciplined, lax, self-conflict, impulsive, careless of social rules, uncontrolled Relaxed, placid, tranquil, torpid, patient, composed, low drive

Sensitive, aesthetic, sentimental, tender-minded, intuitive, refined Vigilant, suspicious, skeptical, wary, distrustful, oppositional Abstracted, imaginative, absent-minded, impractical, absorbed in ideas Private, discreet, non-disclosing, shrewd, polished, worldly, astute, astute, diplomatic Apprehensive, selfdoubting, worried, guilt-prone, insecure, worrying, self-blaming Open to change, experimenting, liberal, analytical, critical, freethinking, flexibility Self-reliant, solitary, resourceful, individualistic, selfsufficient Perfectionist, organized, compulsive, selfdisciplined, socially precise, exacting will power, control, self-sentimental Tense, high energy, impatient, driven, frustrated, overwrought, has high drive, time-driven

Vigilance

Abstractedness

Privateness

Apprehension

Openness to Change

Q1

Self-Reliance

Q2

Perfectionism

Q3

Tension

Q4

The Five Global Factors (16PF5)

This is a simplification from the above 16 factors, which are sometimes also called the 16PF5. Note that these are very closely related to the 'big five'. These are not a simple grouping of the 16PF - some of the sixteen appear in more than one of the five. Global Factors Extraversion Low Introverted, socially inhibited Low anxiety, relaxed, imperturbable, well-adjusted Receptive, openminded, intuitive, emotionality, feeling Accommodating, agreeable, selfless, subdued Unrestrained, impulsive, uncontrolled High Extraverted, social participant High anxiety, tense, perturbable, histrionic Tough-minded, resolute, nonempathetic, determined Independence, persuasive, wilful Self-controlled, inhibitory of impulses

Anxiety

ToughMindedness / Willpower

Independence

Self-Control

So what?
Assess people either roughly using the above table as a guide or more fully using the standard questionnaire. The general principle is that these factors are pretty fixed, so you can then project them onto other situations.