ARE WE LOOKING FOR PARSIMONY, OR WHAT

In a comment on the special issue of the European Journal of Personality on Factor V from the Five-Factor Model, I argue that attempts to arrive at a definitive interpretation are premature in view of the limitations of the item pools that have been used, arbitrariness in choosing criteria for item selection, and limitations of sample sizes. At present, the best tentative interpretation of V is Creativity/Imagination. However, the relation of this concept to the domain of measured intelligence should be reconsidered. The joint study of temperament (Factors I and IV), character (II and III), and intelligence factors should provide insight into the fascinating blends that arise between these dimensions. Such blends are captured by the Abridged Big-Five Dimensional Circumplex approach to personality structure in a parsimonious manner.