In sum, there is a rapidly expanding literature investigating the relationships between the FFM and the DSM personality disorders. Although the summary of this literature within the current meta-analysis provides rather consistent support for the relationships specified by FFM theory, it also provides a clear indication that much work remains in the way of resolving (or at least improving) issues of instrumentation. Whether differences among alternative assessments of the FFM or those assessing the current DSM-IV-TR personality disorders, future research can and should compare the validity and utility of these differing conceptualizations. Only after this work has been completed can the full benefits of an alternative dimensional model be truly evaluated.
