This project focuses on advancing personality assessment in South Africa through rigorous empirical research and methodological innovation. Research examines the applicability and cultural relevance of established personality measures, including the NEO Personality Inventory–Revised (NEO-PI-R) and the Cross-Cultural Personality Assessment Inventory–2 (CPAI-2), within diverse South African contexts. The project also builds on Professor Laher’s previous collaboration with the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI)initiative and her current work on the Africa Long Life Study (ALLS)project, which investigates personality structure across African languages and cultural settings. An innovative component of the project involves the use of text mining and computational methods to explore personality structure, offering novel insights into how personality is expressed in local linguistic contexts.
Publications
- Laher, S., Kritharis, T. & Patel, R. (2026). Assessing personality and psychopathology in South Africa. In S. Laher & K. Cockcroft (Ed’s.). Psychological Assessment in South Africa: Research and Applications – volume 2. Wits University Press.
- Laher, S. & Cheung, F. (2025). The Cultural Perspective in Personality & Psychopathology Assessment. In J. Mihura (Ed.), Oxford Handbook of Personality & Psychopathology Assessment. Oxford University Press.
- Thalmayer, A. G., Asatsa, S., Shino, E. N., Naudé, L., Laher, S., Hassem, T., Florence, M., Adonis, T.-A., Uugwanga, S. N., Rotzinger, J. S., Hofmann, D., Makunda, J., Botha, C., Murangi, A., & Shirima, C. M. (2024). Lifespan Research in Kenya, Namibia, and South Africa: Cohort Profile of the Africa Long Life Study. Personality Science. 5. https://doi.org/10.1177/27000710241264492
- Laher, S., Cheung, F. & Zeinoun, P. (2020). Gender and personality research in Psychology: The need for intersectionality. In Cheung, F. & Halpern, D. (Eds). The Cambridge International Handbook on Psychology of Women. Cambridge University Press.
- Laher, S., & Dockrat, S. (2019). The five-factor model and individualism and collectivism in South Africa: Implications for personality assessment. African Journal of Psychological Assessment, 1, 9 pages. doi:https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v1i0.4
- Laher, S. (2015). Exploring the utility of the CPAI-2 in a South African sample: Implications for the FFM. Personality and Individual Differences, 81, 61-75.
- Laher, S. (2013). Understanding the Five Factor Model and Five Factor Theory through a South African Cultural Lens. South African Journal of Psychology, 43, 208-221.
- Teferi, T.B. & Laher, S. (2012). Exploring the reliability and validity of a Tigrignan translation of the NEO-PI-R in an Eritrean sample. IFE Psychologia, 21, 164-181.
Researchers
