Counterproductive behavior (e.g., aggression, theft, dishonesty) is a persistent societal problem with a substantial dispositional basis. Despite broad interest in the subject, little scholarship has studied relations of variables associated with counterproductive behavior and their dispositional antecedents across work and nonwork domains. Drawing on cybernetic theories of personality, we posit that personality malfunction (an imbalance between cybernetic processes responsible for maintaining homeostasis and facilitating change) contributes to general counterproductive behavior (GCB). To test this theory, we conduct a quantitative review and synthesis of meta-analyses that report Big Five personality trait relations to variables indicative of GCB. Overall, we locate 46 articles reporting associations with 62 variables, which represent k > 1,200 studies and N > 850,000 participants. First, we examine the extent to which GCB variables are predicted by Big Five traits. Then, we use meta-analytic criterion profile analysis (Wiernik et al., 2021) to determine how much of the prediction from personality is due to profile-level effects (elevation of traits) or profile-pattern effects (configuration of traits). Finding that configurations indicative of personality malfunction dominate prediction, finally, we cluster analyze similarity coefficients among personality profiles across GCB variables. We discover two metaclusters and four subordinate clusters. These clusters may represent archetypical forms of GCB, and their related profiles may reflect archetypical forms of personality malfunction. Clusters also strongly parallel the externalizing superspectrum of psychopathology, suggesting a potential general taxonomy of GCB. We conclude by discussing implications for theory and practice, as well as limitations and future research directions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
Wilmot et al. (Thu,) studied this question.