Factor structure of the inventory of adult temperament styles

Abstract

Temperament refers to stylistic and relatively stable traits that subsume intrinsic tendencies to act and react in somewhat predictable ways to people, events, and stimuli. Temperament can be defined by four bipolar styles: extroversion-introversion, practical-imaginative, thinking-feeling, and organizedflexible. These four styles provide the theoretical structure for the group administered Inventory of Adult Temperament Styles (IATS).Validity evidences are reported on 853 middle class adults (43% female), ages 15 through 54 (M = 26.5, SD = 8.6), who were studying at universities or working in Sao Paulo state (Brazil). The degree items are consistent with the four temperament styles was examined through item response theory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results confirm the proposed theoretical structure. Invariance testing suggests that scores reflecting temperament styles have similar meanings for men and women. Implications as well as future directions for research are discussed.