Stability and factor structure of the Jackson Personality Inventory--Revised

Area of Science:

• Psychological assessment
• Personality psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Jackson Personality Inventory--Revised (JPI-R) measures interpersonal patterns, cognitive styles, and values.
• Previous reviews questioned the JPI-R's test-retest stability and factor structure.
• Concerns exist regarding the reliability of cluster scores derived from the JPI-R.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the JPI-R.
• To examine the factor structure of the JPI-R using Principal Components Analysis.
• To assess the stability of JPI-R cluster scores.

Main Methods:

• Participants (N=107) completed the JPI-R, with 45 retested after 13 weeks.
• Test-retest correlations were calculated for all JPI-R scales.
• Principal Components Analysis with varimax rotation was used to analyze the factor structure.

Main Results:

• Twelve of fifteen JPI-R scales demonstrated significant test-retest correlations (r ≥ .75).
• Intercorrelations among subscales were generally low (r = .01–.59), indicating distinctiveness.
• Factor analysis yielded three factors aligning with the NEO Big Five (Openness, Neuroticism, Extroversion).
• Two additional factors, Trustworthy and Organization, showed unstable composition across studies.

Conclusions:

• The JPI-R exhibits adequate test-retest reliability for most scales.
• The factor structure generally supports the Openness, Neuroticism, and Extroversion dimensions.
• Interpretations of Trustworthy and Organization cluster scores should be made with caution due to instability.
• Further research is needed to clarify the instability of the Trustworthy and Organization factors.