Personality and Belief: Examining the Associations between the Big Five and Philosophy Dichotomy Test

Personality is a relevant and applicable research topic now more than ever; because of the Internet, self-report measures of personality are becoming increasingly accessible. Although now widely available for personal application, personality inventories are not often examined in the context of their associations with other factors. Specifically, there exists a gap in the research on personality and its associations with philosophical belief. Based on a sample of 88 individuals, correlations between the Big Five and Philosophy Dichotomy Test were examined in order to investigate the associations between personality traits and philosophical belief. Agreeableness was found to be negatively associated with the sensuality, values, metaphysical, and societal axes, corresponding to higher levels of hedonism, rationalism, materialism, and egoism. These findings suggest that personality as measured by the Big Five and philosophical belief are somewhat associated. Limitations and future directions are presented.