The PEN Model: Biological Dimensions of Personality

	Extraversion	Neuroticism	Psychoticism
Atkinson 1	Approach Motivation / Need for Achievement / Joy of Success	Avoidance Motivation / Fear of Failure / Pain of Failure
Barratt	Action Orientation	Anxiety
Cloninger	Behavioral Activation / Novelty Seeking	Behavioral Inhibition / Harm Avoidance	Behavioral Maintenance / Reward Dependence
Davidson	Approach / (Non-) Depression	Avoidance / Inhibition / Depression
Depue	Behavioral Facilitation / Mania / Positive Emotionality	Behavioral Inhibition
Dollard and Miller 2	Approach	Avoidance
Eysenck	Extraversion / Arousal / Positive Affect	Neuroticism / Activation / Negative Affect	Psychoticism / Anger
Fowles	Behavioral Activation / Impulsivity / Positive Affect	Behavioral Inhibition / Aversion	Non-Specific Arousal
Gray	Behavioral Approach / Impulsivity / Positive Affect	Behavioral Inhibition / Anxiety / Negative Affect	Fight vs. Flight / Aggression
Kagan		Behavioral Inhibition
Newman	Impulsivity / Positive Affect	Anxiety / Negative Affect
Revelle	Approach / Instigation of Behavior	Avoidance / Inhibition of Behavior	Aggression
Simonov	"Strong" Type (Choleric) vs. "Weak" Type (Melancholic)
Tellegen	Positive Affectivity / Positive Affect	Negative Affectivity / Negative Affect	Constraint Avoidance
Thayer	Energetic Arousal	Tense Arousal
Watson and Clark	Positive Affectivity	Negative Affectivity
Zuckerman	Extraversion / Positive Affect	Neuroticism	Psychoticism / Impulsivity / Sensation Seeking / Aggression-Anger
	Extraversion	Neuroticism	Psychoticism

(This table is adapted from Revelle [1997], and Eysenck [1990].)

Revelle, W. (1997, August 12). Three fundamental dimensions of personality [WWW document]. URL http://pmc.psych.nwu.edu/perproj/theory/big3.table.html

• "The PEN Model: Its Contribution to Personality Psychology"

  This paper summarizes and evaluates the psychoticism - extraversion - neuroticism (PEN) model and its reformulation by Gray, concluding that the PEN model has made an important contribution by uniting correlational study of personality taxonomy with experimental study of the causes of personality. By KwangMin Jang.

• "Hans Eysenck"

  This paper is an introduction to Eysenck's theories. By C. George Boeree.

• "Personality Processes"

  This paper is a scholarly survey of the field of personality psychology--including the behavioral activation system (BAS) and behavioral inhibition system (BIS)--in the 1995 Annual Review of Psychology. By William Revelle.

• "Three Fundamental Dimensions of Personality"

  This introduction to the PEN model is part of the Personality Project. By William Revelle.

• Eysenck's Two-Dimensional Classification of Personality

  This figure depicts numerous variables arranged into a circle around the dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism. By Jonathan Schull.

• Emotions and Personality

  This entry in The Encyclopedia Britannica is a useful introduction with a number of links (requires site licence to view).

• Suggested Readings

  A list of suggested readings on this topic is also available. By G. Scott Acton.

Last modified August 1998
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