Burnout among Torgersen’s eight personality types

This study was an investigation with 659 nurses of the relationship between the combination of the Giant Three factors [neuroticism (N), extraversion (E), and conscientiousness (C)] and the three burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). Following Torgersen’s approach (1995), the scores on each personality factor were first median-split dichotomized [into low (-) vs. high (+) scores, giving -N vs. +N, -E vs. +E, -C vs. +C] and then participants were classified into one of eight types on the basis of their position on each of the dichotomized personality factors. The results indicated that the types scoring low on neuroticism (spectator, sceptic, hedonist, and entrepreneur) scored low on emotional exhaustion and the types scoring high on neuroticism (insecure, brooders, impulsive, and complicated) scored high on emotional exhaustion. The entrepreneur (-N+E+C) scored highest and the spectator (-N-E-C) and the insecure (+N-E-C) scored lowest on personal accomplishment.