The Big 5 Personality Traits and You

Many personality models have developed over history. A scientist named Lewis Goldberg developed the “The Big Five.”

Combining these five personality factors can accurately describe a person’s personality and predict their behavior and success in life quite well.

Use “The Big Five” to understand your personality and gain insight into your current challenges:

1. Extraversion. On one end of this scale are the extroverts, and on the other are the introverts. Most of us lie somewhere in between.

•  Think of introverts as those who gain energy while spending time alone. They tend to tire from social interactions. Introverts are frequently introspective, reserved, and quiet. They often, but not always, lack social confidence.
  
  
•  Extroverts are just the opposite. Being alone drains their energy, and they are recharged by spending time with others. Extroverts are commonly described as friendly, socially confident, talkative, energetic, and assertive.

2. Agreeableness. This characteristic is self-explanatory. Agreeable people are polite, sensitive, cheerful, patient, and enjoyable to be around. They are likable and like others. Those low in agreeableness are often described as blunt, rude, sarcastic, and abrasive.

•  Not surprisingly, studies show that most prison inmates rank in the bottom 2% for agreeableness.
  
  
•  Those high in agreeableness are well-liked by everyone.
  
  
•  Women tend to be more agreeable than men by a significant margin.

3. Openness. This is not the willingness to share your deepest, darkest secrets. Openness in this context measures how open you are to new experiences. People high in this trait are interested in new ideas and perspectives. They also tend to value art and music. This trait is closely linked to intelligence.

4. Conscientiousness. If you are highly conscientious, you value order, achievement, and self-discipline and like to take care of business. You are not particularly interested in new experiences or novel stimulation. You are neat, organized, and like to work from a schedule.

•  This trait is strongly correlated with success. If you know someone who does not seem all that smart or talented but is still successful, they are almost certainly highly conscientious.
  
  
•  Those with very low conscientiousness are chronic procrastinators, disorganized, and often labeled as underachievers. If your life always seems out of control, you are likely low in conscientiousness.

5. Neuroticism. Those who rate high in neuroticism tend to be unstable, seek short-term enjoyment, are impulsive, and negative. They have poor job performance, a greater tendency for addiction, and difficulty adjusting to change.

Several Big 5 tests are available online for free or for a fee. You can also contact a mental health professional about testing. Knowing where you fall within these five personality traits can be helpful if you are struggling with relationships. 

For example, if your life is a disaster, and you realize you are low in conscientiousness, you could start taking control of your day by creating a schedule each evening. This is very effective in raising your level of conscientiousness.

Those low in agreeableness can make it a point to do something nice for someone each day. If you are high in neuroticism, learning to meditate or reading a book on anxiety reduction can make a big change in your life.

Understanding your personality can help you to tame the challenges you are currently experiencing in your life. A quick personality test might provide your desired answers if you are stuck. See how you score on The Big 5.