Cohousing-L Mailing List: Personality Factors vs. Consensus

[Norman Gauss (normangauss]

A clarification is needed of my previous presentation of research results
correlating personality factors vs. consensus.

The cited research studied the impressions of participants in groups
deciding issues and asked them if the style of decision-making they thought
had taken place in each of their groups was consensus or majority.  The
groups had not been instructed to use any particular decision-making rule.
The results merely reflect the participant's perception of whether consensus
or majority rule had been used. 

Large portions of those participants exhibiting high agreeableness and
extraversion thought that their group had used consensus.

A large portion of those participants exhibiting high neuroticism thought
that their group had used majority rule.

A smaller portion of those participants exhibiting high conscientiousness
thought that their group had used consensus.

For the openness personality factor, the results were neutral. The feelings
were about even between those thinking that consensus was used and those
thinking that majority was used.

Norm Gauss