Joumal of Psychology in Africa 2011, 21(3), 493-494

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Copyright 2011

Journal of
Psychology in Africa
ISSN 1433-0237

Astrological Signs and Personality Differences

Renier Steyn
University of South Africa
Please address correspondence to Renier Steyn, Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa, PO Box
392, Unisa, 0003, South Africa. E-mail address: steynr@unisa.ac.za
This study examined the reiationship between astroiogicai signs and personaiity traits in 65 268 South African
jobseekers (mean age = 24.8 years, females = 59%, Blacks = 98%). Participants compieted the Basic Traits inventory
(Tayior and de Bruin, 2006). Contrastive analysis of personaiity traits by astroiogicai signs yieided no significant
differences.
Keywords: Astrological signs; personality; South Africa
Until the twentieth century astrologers considered that the
stars played a main role in defining human behaviour, but contemporary psychological astrologers also emphasise the role of
Jungian archetypes and psychological structures underlying different personalities (Kelly, 1997). Astrology claims to explain
typical characteristics of people born at certain times of' the
year, and how people who are born at difterent times difter from
each other or could complement each other (see MacGregor,
2011; Stirling, 2010; Riske, 2011).
In the social media, it is quite common to find sections dedicated to zodiac-related statements and predictions. Some
scepticism exists, however, among researchers about the scientific credibility of astrological writings (see Chico &
Lorenzo-Seva, 2006; Dean & Kelly, 2003; Dean, Nias & French,
1997; Ertel & Dean, 1996; Hamilton, 2001; Hartmann, Reuter, &
Nyborg, 2006; Eysenck & Nias, 1982; Kelly, 1997,1998; Mayo,
White, & Eysenck, 1978; Perry, 1995; Tyson, 1984; Van Rooij,
1994, 1999). Empirical research generally shows liftle support
for astrology claims. Eysenck and Nias (1982), for example,
state that behaviour can usually be explained befter by non-astrological predictors. Nonetheless, many people still read astrological descriptions and predictions in the social media, and
may also make decisions based thereupon.
Van Rooij (1994) is of the opinion that the evaluation of the
accuracy of zodiac personality descriptions in everyday life is
linked to a process of selective self-observation whereby
self-fulfilling biases in event observations are commonplace.
For instance, an Aries person believing to be 'impulsive' will selectively observe impulsive behaviour in him/herself whilst consciously ignoring non-impulsive acts. Acquaintance with star
signs could constitute an important factor in perceptions about
personality traits (Eysenck & Nias, 1982). Hamilton (1995)
shares the same view. Eysenck and Nias (1982) also refer to
the presence of the Barnum eftect in people's appreciation of
personality traits in which personality descriptions of a general
and vague nature are accepted at face value. This may explain
the preference of favourable characteristics described in zodiac
descriptions (Hamilton, 2001; Pawlik & Buse, 1979; Wunder,
2003).

magazine that does not feature some form of zodiac information, and even certain traditional healers admit to the use of
astrological information when advising their patients. This suggests that in a non-Western context zodiac interpretations can
also exert some inftuence. This study sought to answer the
question whether people of difterent zodiac signs had reliable
personality traits difterences.
Method
Participants and setting
Participants were 65 268 jobseekers with a South African
government agency (mean age = 24.8 (SD = 3.9 years), females = 59%, males = 41 %, Blacks = 98%, Whites = 2%, Zulu /
Xhosa / Sepedi = 20%, Venda / Tswana / Tsonga / Sotho =
7%, Swati / Ndebele / Afrikaners = 3%). All the participants
had completed 12 years of schooling and were literate in English. As part of the selection process they completed a personality questionnaire under the supervision of registered psychologists. The assessment was done with full compliance to the
ethical guidelines of the Health Professions Council of South Africa and under the conditions of the Employment Equity Act, Act
number 55 of 1998.
iUleasurement instruments
Participants completed the Basic Traits Inventory (BTI; Taylor and de Bruin, 2006) - a measuring instrument of personality
traits. The BTI measures five core traits, namely extraversion,
agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness
(as defined by McCrae & Costa, 1987). Taylor (2008) reports reliability coefficients varying from a high of .94 (neuroticism) to a
low of .88 (agreeableness and openness), using a South African sample. She also provides some evidence on the absence
of item- and scale-level bias (Taylor, 2008).
Grouping of participants into the 12 astrological groups, according to the signs of the zodiac of Western astrology, was
done following the guidelines set out in Riske (2011).

Data Analysis
After dividing participants into the 12 astrological groups the
In South Africa astrology is a relatively important feature of mean scores of participants, on the difterent factors of the BTI,
contemporary life. It would be difticult to find a newspaper or

494

Steyn

were compared to determine if significant differences in person- Kelly, I. W. (1998). Why astrology doesn't work. Psychological
ality occur across the astrological groupings.
Reports. 82(2), 527-546.
A one-way between-groups ANOVA was conducted to ex- MacGregor, M. M. (2011). Rules for finding how to sueeeed in
soeiety. friendship, marriage and business. Whitefish, MO:
plore whether differences exist between personality traits of
Kessinger.
persons belonging to different astrological signs. Statistieal
Paekage fer the Soeial Sciences (SPSS), Version 17, was used McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the five-facto do the ANOVA, with the personality trait total scores as detor model of personality across instruments and observers.
pendent variables, and the zodiac sign of the participant as
Journalof Personality and Social Psychology. 52(1), 81-90.
(separating) factor.
Mayo, J., White, O., & Eysenck, H. J. (1978). An empirical study
of the relation between astrological factors and personality.
Results and Conclusion
Journal of Social Psychology. 105, 229-236.
No statistically significant difterenees were found at the Pawlik, K., & Buse, L. (1979). Self-aftribution as a differential,
psychological moderator variable: Verification and clarificap < .05 level in BTI seores for the 12 groups. The only indieation
tion of Eysenck's astrology-personality correlations.
of difference was found in the openness trait: F(11, 65 256) =
Zeitschrift fur Sozialpsychologie. 70(1), 54-69.
1.75, p = .058. The difference in mean openness scores was
quite small. The effect size, calculated using eta squared, was Perry, G. (1995). Assessing the feasibility of correlating psyeholess than .001 (Cohen, 1988, Steyn, 2000). The post-hoc comlogieal tests with astrology. In M. Poftenger (Ed.), Astrologiparison using the Scheffe's test indicated that none of the
cal research methods. Vol. 1., An ISAR Anthology, (pp.
groups differed significantly as far as openness was eeneerned.
121-127). Los Angeles, CA: International Soeiety for AstroThe biggest difference in openness seores was between Virgo
logical Research.
(M = 116.93, SD = 18.52) and Seerpio (M = 118.00, SD = Riske, K. B. (2011). Llewellyn's sun sign book: Horoscopes for
17.21), but even this was not significant (p = .475). It was coneveryone. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn.
cludecJ that no differences in personality exist between people
Steyn, H. S. (2000). Practical significance of the difterenees in
based on their respective astrological signs.
means. Journal of Industrial Psychology, 26(3), 1-3.
This study found no evidence to support the view that astro- Stirling, S. Z. (2010). 207 7 Astrology guide nearing the portal.
logical signs explained personality traits. Planetary configuraLas Vegas, NV: Wisdem.
tions therefore have no behavioural ramifications for humans. Taylor, N. (2008). Construct, item and response bias across cultures in personality measurement (Unpublished doctoral
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