Big Five personality traits
The Big Five factors and their constituent traits can be summarized as follows:
• Openness - appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of
experience.
• Conscientiousness - a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather
than spontaneous behaviour.
• Extraversion - energy, positive emotions, surgency, and the tendency to seek stimulation and the company of
others.
• Agreeableness - a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic
towards others.
• Neuroticism - a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or
vulnerability; sometimes called emotional instability.
Agreeableness
Main article: Agreeableness
Agreeableness reflects individual differences in concern with cooperation and social harmony. Agreeable individuals
value getting along with others. They are generally considerate, friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise
their interests with others. Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are
basically honest, decent, and trustworthy.
Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. They are generally unconcerned with
others’ well-being, and are less likely to extend themselves for other people. Sometimes their skepticism about others’
motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and uncooperative.
Sample Agreeableness items
• I am interested in people.
• I feel others’ emotions.
• I have a soft heart.
• I make people feel at ease.
• I sympathize with others’ feelings.
• I take time out for others.
• I am not interested in other people’s problems. (reversed)
• I am not really interested in others. (reversed)
• I feel little concern for others. (reversed)
• I insult people. (reversed) [12]
Conscientiousness
Main article: Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness concerns the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Impulses are not inherently
bad; occasionally time constraints require a snap decision, and acting on our first impulse can be an effective response.
Also, in times of play rather than work, acting spontaneously and impulsively can be fun. Impulsive individuals can be
seen by others as colorful, fun-to-be-with, and zany. Conscientiousness includes the factor known as Need for
Achievement (NAch).
The benefits of high conscientiousness are obvious. Conscientious individuals avoid trouble and achieve high levels of
success through purposeful planning and persistence. They are also positively regarded by others as intelligent and
reliable. On the negative side, they can be compulsive perfectionists and workaholics. Furthermore, extremely
conscientious individuals might be regarded as stuffy and boring. Unconscientious people may be criticized for their
unreliability, lack of ambition, and failure to stay within the lines, but they will experience many short-lived pleasures and
they will never be called stuffy (i.e. dull, boring, unimaginative).
Sample Conscientiousness items
• I am always prepared.
• I am exacting in my work.
• I follow a schedule.
• I get chores done right away.
• I like order.
• I pay attention to details.
• I leave my belongings around. (reversed)
• I make a mess of things. (reversed)
• I often forget to put things back in their proper place. (reversed)
• I shirk my duties. (reversed) [13]
Correlates of Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness shows a modest correlation with conservative as opposed to liberal political ideology.[14]
Extraversion
Main article: Extraversion and introversion
Extraversion, also called "extroversion," is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy
being with people, are full of energy, and often experience positive emotions. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-
oriented individuals who are likely to say "Yes!" or "Let's go!" to opportunities for excitement. In groups they like to talk,
assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves.
Introverts lack the exuberance, energy, and activity levels of extraverts. They tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and
less dependent on the social world. Their lack of social involvement should not be interpreted as shyness or
depression; the introvert simply needs less stimulation than an extravert and more time alone.
A simple explanation is that an extravert gains energy by associating with others and loses energy when alone for any
period of time. An introvert is the opposite, as they gain energy from doing individual activities such as watching movies
or reading and lose energy, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, from social activities.
Sample Extraversion items
• I am the life of the party.
• I don't mind being the center of attention.
• I feel comfortable around people.
• I start conversations.
• I talk to a lot of different people at parties.
• I am quiet around strangers. (reversed)
• I don't like to draw attention to myself. (reversed)
• I don't talk a lot. (reversed)
• I have little to say. (reversed)[15]
Biology of Extraversion
Extraversion has been linked to higher sensitivity of the mesolimbic dopamine system to potentially rewarding stimuli.
[16] This in part explains the high levels of positive affect found in Extraverts, since they will more intensely feel the
excitement of a potential reward. One consequence of this is that Extraverts can more easily learn the contingencies for
positive reinforcement, since the reward itself is experienced as greater.
Neuroticism
Main article: Neuroticism
Neuroticism, also known inversely as Emotional Stability, refers to the tendency to experience negative emotions. Those
who score high on Neuroticism may experience primarily one specific negative feeling such as anxiety, anger, or
depression, but are likely to experience several of these emotions. People high in Neuroticism are emotionally reactive.
They respond emotionally to events that would not affect most people, and their reactions tend to be more intense than
normal. They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly
difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are
often in a bad mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish a neurotic's ability to think clearly, make
decisions, and cope effectively with stress.
At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in Neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally
reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Freedom from negative
feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings; frequency of positive emotions is a
component of the Extraversion domain.
Sample Neuroticism items
• I am easily disturbed.
• I change my mood a lot.
• I get irritated easily.
• I get stressed out easily.
• I get upset easily.
• I have frequent mood swings.
• I often feel blue.
• I worry about things.
• I am relaxed most of the time. (reversed)
• I seldom feel blue. (reversed) [17]
Openness to Experience
Main article: Openness to experience
Openness to Experience describes a dimension of personality that distinguishes imaginative, creative people from down-
to-earth, conventional people. Open people are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. They
tend to be, compared to closed people, more aware of their feelings. They therefore tend to hold unconventional and
individualistic beliefs, although their actions may be conforming (see agreeableness). People with low scores on
openness to experience tend to have narrow, common interests. They prefer the plain, straightforward, and obvious
over the complex, ambiguous, and subtle. They may regard the arts and sciences with suspicion, regarding these
endeavors as abstruse or of no practical use. Closed people prefer familiarity over novelty; they are conservative and
resistant to change.
Sample Openness items
• I am full of ideas.
• I am quick to understand things.
• I have a rich vocabulary.
• I have a vivid imagination.
• I have excellent ideas.
• I spend time reflecting on things.
• I use difficult words.
• I am not interested in abstract ideas. (reversed)
• I do not have a good imagination. (reversed)
• I have difficulty understanding abstract ideas. (reversed) [18]