After a good deal of disagreement about what were the most important personality traits, psychologists have generally accepted the “Big Five.” Each has its own characteristic attitudes and beliefs, and people may be ranked on a continuum on each one. The acronym OCEAN can help you remember the five traits: 1. Openness to Experience. This trait takes in intelligence, imagination, an inquiring mind, openness to new ideas and points of view, values, and experiences. Those high on this trait show less rigidity when faced with unfamiliar people, events, and experiences. They are more likely to try new foods for instance. Those low on this scale tend to be unimaginative, conservative, conventional, and not creative or curious about the world. 29 2. Conscientiousness. This trait is measured through specific traits like dependability, trustworthiness, hard work, ambition, honesty, a strong sense of purpose, and self‐discipline, among others (McCrae, Costa, Ostendorf, & Angleitner, 1999; Hunt, 1994). Those low on the scale tend to be lazy, disorganized, uncaring, and lack perseverance. This trait tends to be change as people mature and show more responsibility—like coming to class on time! 3. Extraversion. With its opposite being introversion, this is the overall trait name for more specific traits like sociability, social activity, involvement with others, forming social networks, free expression of opinions, enjoyment of talk, and leadership, among others. Those with lower ranking on this trait tend to be quiet and emotionally reserved, serious, and passive. Successful salespeople generally score high on this trait. 4. Agreeableness. We see this trait in our desire to be liked, to cooperate with others, even defer to others, and to avoid conflict. Other related traits include altruism, trust in others, sociability, and likability. Those scoring low on this trait tend to be more critical of others, angry, suspicious, and argumentative. You may know individuals who tend to always look for the positive in others and seem to be less judgmental. They would score higher in agreeableness. 5. Neuroticism. People ranking high in this trait have a negative opinion of themselves and their abilities. Allied traits are emotionalism, adjustment, emotional stability, pessimism, and the tendency toward being a perfectionist. They are worriers, always looking for the next shoe to drop. High neuroticism scores are associated with hostility, self‐consciousness, depression, impulsiveness, and feelings of vulnerability. Those scoring low on this scale tend to be less emotional, secure in themselves, calm, and even tempered.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 03:14:06 +0000
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