Prediger's Dimensional Representation of Holland's RIASEC Circumplex

The authors conducted a structural meta-analysis to evaluate D. J. Prediger's (1982) 3-factor (1 general factor and 2 bipolar factors of data-ideas and things-people) representation of J. L. Holland's (1985a) RIASEC circumplex (including six personality types: realistic [R], investigative [I], artistic [A], social [S], enterprising [E], and conventional [C]). Confirmatory factor analysis and multidimensional scaling were applied to 77 U.S. RIASEC correlation matrices published between 1965 and 1989. Prediger's 3-factor model received support when predictions from his factor model conformed to the predictions from the circumplex. The presence and size of the general factor were confirmed, but the differential biasing effect of the general factor on the RIASEC structure was not supported. Although the uniqueness of the bipolar dimensions was not supported, these dimensions were found to be generalizable across subject variables and several RIASEC inventories. It appears that the circumplex structure itself is the crucial distinguishing feature.