Abstract
Costa and McCraes (1992) NEO-PI-R (Big Five) questionnaire has become an accepted instrument for
the measurement of occupational propensities and includes scales for evaluating levels of Neuroticism,
Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. A Hebrew translation of its shortened version
was administered to 320 Israeli male and female students of the natural sciences, law, the social sciences
and art (mean age = 24.03 years). It was found that Neuroticism is negatively related to both
Conscientiousness and to Agreeableness, which is positively related to both Openness and Conscientiousness;
the latter are negatively related to one another. Women are significantly more agreeable and conscientious
than men. Law students are significantly less agreeable and open to experience than students of all
other faculties, and more neurotic than natural science students. Female students of the natural sciences are
significantly more agreeable than both their male counterparts in the natural sciences and than law students.
The results are discussed in light of the specific characteristics of the different fields of study and
in context of traditional gender role expectations from men and women.
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