PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY 2005,58,447-478 HIGHER-ORDER DIMENSIONS OF THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND THE BIG SIX VOCATIONAL INTEREST TYPES MICHAEL K. MOUNT, MURRAY R. BARRICK Henry B. Tippie College of Business University of Iowa STEVE M. SCULLEN North Carolina State University JAMES ROUNDS University of Illinois The purpose of this study was to identify higher-order dimensions that explain the relationships among the Big 6 interest types and the Big 5 personality traits. Meta-analyses were conducted to identify an 11 x 11 true score correlation matrix of interest and personal- ity attributes. Cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimensional scaling were used to identify 3 dimensions that explained relations among the 11 attributes: (a) Interests versus Personality Traits; (b) Striving for Ac- complishment Versus Striving for Personal Growth, and (c) Interacting with People Versus Interacting with Things. Overall, results clarified the relationships among interests and personality traits by showing that 3 rather than 2 dimensions best explain the relationships among interests and personality traits. Personality traits and vocational interests are two major, noncogni- tive individual difference domains in the field of psychology. Both sets of dispositional attributes are important because they influence numer- ous outcomes associated with work and life success. One common thread that links personality traits and vocational interests is that they influence behavior through motivational processes. That is, they influence choices individuals make about which tasks and activities to engage in, how much effort to exert on those tasks, and how long to persist with those tasks. Although psychologists have conducted hundreds of studies that investi- gate one or both topics, the precise nature of the linkages between the two domains remains ambiguous and controversial. The authors would like to thank Paul Muchinsky, Robert Hogan, and John Holland for helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. Paul Sackett served as guest editor for this article. Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Michael K. Mount, University of Iowa, Henry B. Tippie College of Business, Iowa City, Iowa 52244-1000, 319-335-0953; michael-mount@uiowa.edu. COPYRIGHT 0 2005 BLACKWBLL PUBLISHING, INC. 447