The H-Factor (Honesty-Humility)

[ygolo]

Has anyone looked into research regarding this "6-th factor"?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1554588340/ref=kinw_rke_tl_1

Is the book worth getting?

There is a Wikipedia Article on the HEXACO model: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HEXACO_model_of_personality_structure

One thing I believe is quite good about the HEXACO model as compared to the Big Five is that it seems more descriptive than normative. Even though, it seems like the H-factor has normative components, it doesn't seem as black-white and the Neuroticism factor in the Big Five.

 

[FDG]

It's not clear to me why "humilty" is considered an unequivocally positive factor i.e. with a monotonously increasing relationship with "good" character. ("Honesty" I perfectly understand)

 

[21%]

It's not clear to me why "humilty" is considered an unequivocally positive factor i.e. with a monotonously increasing relationship with "good" character.

Why shouldn't humility be positive? (Honest question here)

 

[Thalassa]

Humility is unequivocally a good trait because even a confident person should have a realistic appraisal of their weaknesses and also not think of themselves as having an illusory superiority to others.

For example, despite my strong ethical opinions, I'm humble enough to know it's not my place to say whether or not Chechnya should be independent.

People who do not have humility, even in matters where they often concern themselves (politics or ethics in my case), are total jack-asses.

 

[Magic Poriferan]

the Big 5 was a product of pretty robust work. It's a tall order to live up to with any competing model. I wonder to what extent the Humility-Honesty dimension has been demonstrated as a discrete factor. Just on the surface it sounds far too similar to the characteristics of agreeableness.

I'd largely say the five factor model is not black and white. Neuroticism is really the only factor represented that way, which did bug me. I've gone on to postulate a theory that neuroticism might actually correlate with a person's compulsion to behave within their own moral code, in which case it deserves more credit than to just be called a negative trait.

 

[Seymour]

the Big 5 was a product of pretty robust work. It's a tall order to live up to with any competing model. I wonder to what extent the Humility-Honesty dimension has been demonstrated as a discrete factor. Just on the surface it sounds far too similar to the characteristics of agreeableness.

I'd largely say the five factor model is not black and white. Neuroticism is really the only factor represented that way, which did bug me. I've gone on to postulate a theory that neuroticism might actually correlate with a person's compulsion to behave within their own moral code, in which case it deserves more credit than to just be called a negative trait.

I agree, except that I think that the Big Five does show some other biases. For example, descriptions of high Openness sound far more positive than descriptions of low Openness (which makes sense when you considering the kind of people who become scientists and/or psychologists).

I think your approach for redeeming Neuroticism is interesting, though. A little googling reveals this article (which is mildly interesting, despite it being from Psychology Today).

I also think Big Five generally loses out on the combinatorial factors that make MBTI types more interesting. Granted, given that people cluster around the center of each scale, not every person is going to have four pronounced traits (which I suspect leads to some people have a hard time typing themselves in MBTI), but still... even good descriptions of 2-3 traits in combination would make it more flavorful.

 

[Galena]

Maybe FDG is thinking of when someone becomes "too humble", like to the point of selling oneself short. But when someone is like that, do you think "humble" even applies anymore?

And you can play around on HEXACO's own inventory here: http://hexaco.org/downloading.html

Online clicky version for the lazy: http://psychometrics.akresgr.org/personalitytest1/

 

[Mole]

A study of Germans who helped Jews in WW II found they were high in neuroticism.

 

[Such Irony]

the Big 5 was a product of pretty robust work. It's a tall order to live up to with any competing model. I wonder to what extent the Humility-Honesty dimension has been demonstrated as a discrete factor. Just on the surface it sounds far too similar to the characteristics of agreeableness.

I'd largely say the five factor model is not black and white. Neuroticism is really the only factor represented that way, which did bug me. I've gone on to postulate a theory that neuroticism might actually correlate with a person's compulsion to behave within their own moral code, in which case it deserves more credit than to just be called a negative trait.

All the factors seem to have a side that's more desirable than the other. Neuroticism is just more pronounced. Generally it's more favorable to be thought of as agreeable, conscientious, open to experience, and extraverted.

The big five agreeableness facet included subscales such as humility and straightforwardness which are aspects of the H dimension in the Hexaco system. Part of why I'd score high on agreeableness in the big five was because I typically score high on the subscales associated with H. In HEXACO, I suspect I'd be high H and more average on agreeableness.

 

[roman67]

This book is very famous about the manipulative personalities, Author describe the behavior of human in different conditions, must read!