A person-centered analysis of the personality-value relationships among Chinese adolescents

Values and personality are interrelated, multifactorial constructs that represent different aspects of the Self. The intricate relationships between personality and value have seldom been explored using appropriate person-centered approaches. In this study, latent profile analyses were performed to examine the personality-value relationships of 2886 Chinese adolescents as measured by established inventories. The LPA results for the five-factor personality traits of neuroticism, openness, extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness yielded four distinct profiles: “Reserved and Undependable” (4.26%), “Sunny but Self-centered” (5.02%), “Emotional but Cooperative” (18.57%), and “Average” (72.14%). The LPA results for the eight-factor values of egalitarianism, collectivism, compliance, family, friendship, self-transcendence, fashion, and hedonism yielded three distinct profiles: “Rebels” (32.92%), “Moderates” (42.86%), and “Role Models” (24.22%). Subsequent analyses revealed significant associations between the personality profiles and the value profiles. Specifically, the “Reserved and Undependable” tended to associate with the “Rebels,” whereas the “Emotional but Cooperative” tended to associate with the “Role Models.” Besides, the findings also uncovered the rebellious and apathetic tendencies among Chinese adolescents. Research implications and future directions were discussed.