Big Five Inventory – BFI
A 44-item self-report scale designed to measure the Big Five dimensions of personality: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness to Experience.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Big Five Inventory – BFI was developed by Oliver P. John & Sanjay Srivastava (1999). It is designed to measure Big Five Personality Traits. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 44 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Openness | 5,10,15,20,25,30,35,40,41,44 | 10 |
| Conscientiousness | 3,8,13,18,23,28,33,38,43 | 9 |
| Extraversion | 1,6,11,16,21,26,31,36 | 8 |
| Agreeableness | 2,7,12,17,22,27,32,37,42 | 9 |
| Neuroticism | 4,9,14,19,24,29,34,39 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 16 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low: 1 – 2
- Moderate: 3 – 3
- High: 4 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Typically ranges from .75 to .90 for the subscales.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.