mettrait

Mettrait is a term used in personality psychology to describe a higher-order personality dimension that captures common variance among several lower-order traits, typically within the Big Five framework. The usage varies across authors, and the term is sometimes referred to as metatraits or supertraits. Mettraits seek to summarize broad tendencies in behavior, motivation, and self-regulation that cut across specific trait domains.

Among the best-known metatraits are Stability and Plasticity. Stability aggregates traits related to emotional regulation and social harmony, typically including low Neuroticism and high Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Plasticity groups traits tied to exploration and adaptability, notably Extraversion and Openness to Experience. Together, they are used to explain broad life outcomes and developmental patterns, and to simplify cross-cultural comparisons of personality structure. Researchers derive them using higher-order factor analyses of trait data.

Measurement relies on statistical models that extract shared variance across trait scales; results can depend on measurement instruments and sample characteristics. While some studies report robust higher-order factors, others caution that metatraits may reflect methodological artifacts or cultural differences. The concept remains debated, and not all models agree on the same set of metatraits or their interpretive meaning.

See also: Big Five personality traits, higher-order factors, metatraits theory.