Pop media likes predict personality traits

DURHAM, N.H., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- How people react to, and are affected by, characters in cultural media predicts their personal life themes and media preferences, U.S. researchers found.

Doctor student Michael Faber and psychology Professor John Mayer, both of the University of New Hampshire, asked 100 study participants to identify 13 specific archetypes across various media. Psychologist Carl Jung first proposed the concept of universal archetypes.

For example, the study participants readily identified the caregiver archetype, which exhibits the traits of compassion, generosity and devotion with the movie "The English Patient."

The researchers then used these responses to create a master scale that associates each of the 13 archetypes with specific personality traits.

"Such findings offer surprising new evidence for the possible existence of dominant archetypal themes in our lives. These themes appear to run the gamut from the carer, who enjoys romance movies and fashion books, and is agreeable and accommodating, to the striver, who enjoys action movies, sports television and books about espionage, and may be outgoing yet low on conscientiousness," the researchers said in a statement.

"Archetypal life themes may be used not only to predict personal preferences, but also how we interact socially with others through our interests, and how we identify with archetypal characters."

The findings were published in the Journal of Research in Personality.