This study tests Larson and Borgen's assertion that a dramatic increase in variance occurs in the prediction of interests by personality if one examines the overlap at specific levels rather than only at broad levels of the RIASEC and Big Five dimensions. Whereas Larson and Borgen studied gifted adolescents, this study assessed a college sample using Tellegen's Big Three model of personality. Participants (n = 200) completed the 1994 Strong Interest Inventory (SII) and the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). The authors' findings corroborate 7 out of 10 specific hypotheses supported by Larson and Borgen, and also support the general hypothesis that specific MPQ primary scales contribute significantly to the prediction of SII Basic Interest scales (BISs) beyond the contribution of the related MPQ higher order factors. An important relation found between the MPQ Harm Avoidance and several Realistic BISs is discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ackerman, P. L., & Heggestad, E. D. (1997). Intelligence, personality, and interests: Evidence for overlapping traits. Psychological Bulletin, 121(2), 219-245.
2.
Ben-Porath, U. S., Almagor, M., Hoffman-Chemi, A., & Tellegen, A. (1995). A cross-cultural study of personality with the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 26(4), 360-373.
3.
Berdie, R. F. (1944). Factors related to vocational interests. Psychological Bulletin, 41, 137-157.
4.
Betsworth, D. G., et al. (1992). Genetic and environmental influences on vocational interests assessed using adoptive and biological families and twins reared apart and together. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 44, 263-278.
5.
Betz, N. E. (1999). Getting clients to act on their interests: Self-efficacy expectations as a mediator of the implementation of vocational interests. In M. L. Savickas & A. R. Spokane (Eds.), Vocational interests: Their meaning, measurement, and use in counseling. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
6.
Blake, R. J., & Sackett, S. A. (1999). Holland's typology and the Five-Factor model: A rationalempirical analysis. Journal of Career Assessment, 7(3), 249-279.
7.
Borgen, F. H. (1986). New approaches to the assessment of interests. In W. B. Walsh & S. H. Osipow (Eds.), Advances in vocational psychology: Vol. I. The assessment of interests (pp. 83-125). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
8.
Borgen, F. H. (1999). New horizons in interest theory and measurement: Toward expanded meaning. In M. Savickas & A. Spokane (Eds.), Vocational interests: Their meaning, measurement and use in counseling (pp. 383-411). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
9.
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). Revised NEO-Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI): Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
10.
Costa, P. T., McCrae, R. R., & Holland, J. L. (1984). Personality and vocational interests in adulthood. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 390-400.
11.
Darley, J. G. (1941). Clinical aspects and interpretation of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. New York: The Psychological Corporation.
12.
Darley, J. G., & Hagenah, T. (1955). Vocational interest measurement. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
13.
Finkel, D., & McGue, M. (1997). Sex differences and nonadditivity in heritability of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(4), 929-948.
14.
Fouad, N. A., Smith, P. L., & Zao, K. E. (2002). Across academic domains: Extensions of the social-cognitive career model. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 164-171.
15.
Hackett, G. (1995). Self-efficacy in career choice and development. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in changing society (pp. 232-258). New York: Cambridge University Press.
16.
Hackett, G., & Betz, N. E. (1981). A self-efficacy approach to the career development of women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 18, 326-339.
17.
Hansen, J. C., & Campbell, D. C. (1985). Manual for the Strong Interest Inventory (4th ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
18.
Harkness, A. R., Tellegen, A., & Waller, N. (1995). Differential convergence of self-report and informant data for Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire traits: Implications for the construct of negative emotionality. Journal of Personality Assessment, 64(1), 185-204.
19.
Harmon, L. W., Hansen, J. C., Borgen, F. H., & Hammer, A. L. (1994). Strong Interest Inventory applications and technical guide. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
20.
Holland, J. L. (1966). A psychological classification scheme for vocations and major fields. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 13(3), 278-288.
21.
Holland, J. L. (1985). Manual for the Vocational Preference Inventory. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
22.
Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
23.
Holland, J. L. (1999). Why interest inventories are also personality inventories. In M. Savickas & A. Spokane (Eds.), Vocational interests: Their meaning, measurement and use in counseling (pp. 87-101). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
24.
Holland, J. L., Fritzche, B. A., & Powell, A. B. (1994). The Self-Directed Search technical manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
25.
Larson, L. M., & Borgen, F. H. (2002). Convergence of vocational interests and personality: Examples in an adolescent gifted sample. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 60, 91-112.
26.
Larson, L. M., Rottinghaus, P. J., & Borgen, F. H. (2002). Meta-analysis of Big Six Interests and Big Five Personality Factors. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 61, 217-239.
27.
Lent, R. W., & Brown, S. D. (1996). Social cognitive approach to career development: An overview. Career Development Quarterly, 44, 310-321.
28.
McGue, M., Slutske, W., & Iaconon, W. G. (1999). Personality and substance use disorders: II. Alcoholism versus drug use disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67(3), 294-304.
29.
Moloney, D. P., Bouchard, T. J., Jr., & Segal, N. L. (1991). A genetic and environmental analysis of the vocational interests of monozygotic and dizygotic twins reared apart. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 39, 362-368.
30.
Nauta, M. M., Kahn, J. H., Angell, J. W., & Cantrelli, E. A. (2002). Identifying the antecedent in the relation between career interests and self-efficacy: Is it one, the other, or both? Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 290-301.
31.
Prediger, D. J. (1999). Integrating interests and abilities for career exploration: General considerations. In M. Savickas & A. Spokane (Eds.), Vocational interests: Their meaning, measurement and use in counseling (pp. 295-325). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
32.
Spokane, A. R., & Decker, A. R. (1999). Expressed and measured interests. In M. Savickas & A. Spokane (Eds.), Vocational interests: Their meaning, measurement and use in counseling (pp. 211-233). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
33.
Swanson, J. L. (1999). Stability and change in vocational interests. In M. Savickas & A. Spokane (Eds.), Vocational interests: Their meaning, measurement, and use in counseling (pp. 135-158). Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black.
34.
Swanson, J. L., & Gore, P. A. (2000). Advances in vocational psychology theory and research. In S. D. Brown & R. W. Lent (Eds.), Handbook of counseling psychology (3rd ed., pp. 233-269). New York: John Wiley.
35.
Tellegen, A. (1982). Brief manual for the Differential Personality Questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript, University of Minnesota.
36.
Tellegen, A., & Waller, N. G. (in press). Exploring personality through test construction: Development of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. In S. R. Briggs & J. M. Cheek (Eds.), Personality measures: Development and evaluation (Vol. 1). Greenwich, CN: JAI Press.
37.
Terman, L. M. (1931). Introduction. In D. Fryer, The measurement of interests in relation to human adjustment (pp. xvii-xix). New York: Henry Holt.
38.
Tracey, T. J. G. (2002). Development of interests and competency beliefs: A 1-year longitudinal study of fifth- to eighth-grade students using the ICA-R and structural equation modeling. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 49, 148-163.
39.
Tyler, L. E. (1945). Relationships between Strong Vocational Interest scores and other attitude and personality factors. Journal of Applied Psychology, 29, 58-67.
40.
White, T. L., & Depue, R. A. (1999). Differential association of traits of fear and anxiety with norepinephrine- and dark-induced pupil reactivity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(4), 863-877.
