Latent Profiles of Personality and Imagination: Examining Sex Differences Across College Disciplines

In a global context where creativity skills are increasingly emphasized, imagination remains neglected despite being a foundational component of creativity. This study used a person-centered approach to examine how personality and imagination cluster among university students and how these profiles relate to sex and disciplinary enrollment. Latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed three typologies: Reactive Realists (10.3%), with lower imagination and emotional stability; Reserved Idealists (52.6%), with lower extraversion and moderately elevated imagination; and Balanced Visionaries (37.2%), with high imagination and greater emotional stability. Chi-square analyses indicated that sex did not significantly differentiate profile membership, suggesting imagination-personality patterns are not sex-specific. However, profiles were significantly related with college disciplinary choices when sex and race/ethnicity were added as covariates. Balanced Visionaries were less likely to enroll in the sciences relative to Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, while Reactive Realists showed higher odds of enrolling in Engineering. Regression models further showed significant effects of sex and race/ethnicity: females were less likely to enroll in Business, Engineering, and Music, but more likely in Education; Asian students were more likely to enroll in Business, Engineering, and Science; and Hispanic/Latinx students had higher odds of enrolling in Engineering. These findings highlight the value of LPA for identifying imagination-personality typologies that shape educational choices in post-secondary education.