Maladaptive variants of adaptive traits and bloated specific factors

The five-factor model of personality disorder (FFMPD) hypothesizes that the traditionally adaptive five-factor model (FFM) poles (e.g., agreeableness) include maladaptive variants. However, “bloated specific factors” (BSFs), which are artifactual factors that emerge when a specific facet of a broader construct is over-represented, complicate research on the maladaptive variants. Twenty-five sets of factor analyses are completed herein demonstrating that items from maladaptive trait facet scales form BSFs when over-represented in factor analyses with other FFM indicators, separating from the higher-order domains in which they were originally located. These results held in 23 of 25 cases. Ensuring balanced collections of scales representing constructs would help researchers avoid BSFs. The implications of BSFs for future research on personality structure are discussed.