r = .47, meaning they shared only 22% of their variance (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Thus, covariation of an overall Neuroticism score with another variable lacks clear meaning: The Neuroticism score likely reflects different patterns of traits for different individuals. It is not just that when one correlates neuroticism with another variable one cannot know whether the correlation was “carried” by, in this case, angry hostility or anxiety; it is that the same score could reflect angry hostility elevations for some individuals and anxiety elevations for others. For these reasons, the central construct validation process should be to test hypothesized relationships among what are thought to be homogeneous, precisely defined constructs.
