The four faces of eve: a typological analysis of women's personality at midlife

Abstract

In an analysis of adult personality structure, types are defined as prototypes rather than as discrete categories. Using inverse factor analyses of archival Q-sort descriptions, 4 type factors were replicated in a cross-validation design. These prototypes are interpreted as Individuated, Traditional, Conflicted, and Assured and are related to Rank's (1945) theoretical analysis of different modes of adjustment. These prototypes capture particular combinations of personality dimensions, such as Ego Resiliency, Ego Control, and the Big Five, and converge with the types identified by Block (1971). Further analyses using 13 clusters of scales from 3 broad-band self-report inventories validated the Q-sort-based interpretations and showed a distinct and theoretically consistent patterning for each of the types.