the trait in question so that interpretation of a high
score is problematic. One of the more controversial
aspects of the NEO-PI-R is its lack of a validity
scale (or set of scales) to evaluate respondents’
test-taking approaches. Instead, the NEO-PI-R
has three individual items that assess the validity of
responses. One item asks respondents to indicate if
they have responded to the items in an honest and
accurate manner, another asks if they have
answered all items, and the last assesses whether
responses have been placed in the correct spaces.
Norms. Adult norms are based on a total of
500 men and 500 women drawn from several
samples of community residents. The normative
sample closely approximates U.S. Census Bureau
projections for 1995 in the distribution of age and
racial groups. The NEO-PI-R manual presents
normative data for college students as well.
Reliability and Stability. NEO-PI-R scores
show excellent levels of both internal consistency
and test–retest reliability. Internal consistency coef-
ficients range from .86 to .92 for the domain scales
and from .56 to .81 for the facet scales. A study of
clinical outpatients reported 6-month test–retest
reliability coefficients that ranged from .76 to .84
for the domain scores (Trull, Useda, Costa, &
McCrae, 1995). Test–retest reliability has been
impressively high over time periods as long as
6 years.Factor Structure. Factor analyses have, in gen-
eral, supported the hypothesized five-factor struc-
ture of the NEO-PI-R. This is true whether
individual item scores or facet scores were used in
the analyses (Costa & McCrae, 1992).Validity. The NEO-PI-R manual (Costa &
McCrae, 1992) presents a variety of evidence attest-
ing to the validity of the instrument’s scores.
Domain and facet scores from the NEO-PI-R
have been shown to relate in predictable ways to
personality trait scores from a variety of personality
measures, peer reports, and adjective checklists.Clinical Applications. Although the NEO-PI-R
was developed from a model of“normal”personal-
ity, investigators have begun to assess this instru-
ment’s usefulness in clinical samples. Because Axis
II personality disorders involve, by definition,
maladaptive personality traits (i.e., extreme variants
of personality traits that are common in all indi-
viduals), these disorders represent an obvious
application for FFM instruments such as the
NEO-PI-R. Several studies have supported the
utility of NEO-PI in characterizing personality dis-
orders (e.g., Samuel & Widiger, 2008; Widiger &
Trull, 2007). Further, investigators have begun to
evaluate the utility of FFM instruments such as the
NEO-PI-R in assessing personality characteristics of
individuals with Axis I mood, anxiety, and sub-
stance use disorders (e.g., Trull & Sher, 1994).
Taken together, these studies suggest that the
NEO-PI-R and related instruments hold some
promise in the area of clinical assessment.The NEO-PI-R is a popular measure of personality and
personality pathology.
PAR, Inc.PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT 233