PERSONALITY CORRELATES OF ALLOCENTRISM VERSUS PSYCHOCENTRISM IN CHOICE OF DESTINATIONS FOR TRAVEL

Abstract

Plog (1974) has classified people as psychocentric (self-inhibited, nervous, and nonadventurous) versus allocentric (people wich varied interest patterns) and has predicted that they choose different holiday destinations. To explore personality correlates of holiday destination choices, 13 male and 20 female students (M,,, = 23.4 yr., SD = 4.2) were administered the 16 PF (Cattell, e t al., 1970) and presented with a list of 20 foreign destinations for travel, including three nonallocentric choices (Toronto, Maui, and Nassau) and three allocentric choices (Lima, Moscow, and Cairo). The students ranked the 20 destinations, and the three rankings for allocentric choices were subtracted from the three rankings for nonallocentric choices.' The Pearson correlations were for 16 PF factors A -0.19, B 0.15, C 0.04, E 0.07, F 0.14, G -0.15, H -0.01, I 0.06, L 0.19, M 0.10, N -0.08, 0 0.01, Q1 0.03, Q.1 0.06, Q3 0.04, and Q4 0.01. Clearly, the destination choice was not significantly associated wich any of the 16 PF scores. There was no support then in the present study for an association of choice of destination for holiday travel and personalicy as measured by the 16 PF.