Patterns of self-regulation and the Big Five

The authors examined relations between self-regulatory properties of personality (ego-control and ego-resilience) and the Big Five. Ego-control and ego-resilience were independent predictors of each Big Five dimension. Additionally, cluster analysis suggested four replicable types. Participants in the first (largest) cluster reported the highest levels of resilience and moderately low levels of control. The second cluster reported above-average resilience and high control. The third cluster reported below-average resilience and extremely low control. The final cluster reported very low resilience and high control. The four clusters differed systematically in their Big Five profiles. These findings suggest that self-regulatory processes are co-ordinated with other basic personality dimensions, and attest to the utility of conducting both variable-centred and person-centred analyses.