Sense of Coherence and Five-Factor Approach to Personality

Abstract. In the present study we analyzed the conceptual relationship of sense of coherence (SOC) to the five-factor model of personality (FFM; i.e., Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness). Participants (109 men, 114 women) were drawn from the ongoing Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development (JYLS); which was started when the participants were 8 or 9-years old (in 1968): Data gathered at age 42 were used in this study. SOC was measured by the 13-item Orientation to Life Questionnaire ( Antonovsky, 1987 ) and FFM personality traits with the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; Costa & McCrae, 1989 ). The results obtained from structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that a high SOC was strongly associated with Neuroticism (-.85). In addition, SOC showed modest positive associations with Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. On the basis of the present results, it seems reasonable to assume that SOC and reversed Neuroticism (i.e., emotional stability) are closely related constructs at the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical levels.