What Are The Big 5 Personality Traits? | Thomas.co

What are the big five personality traits? · Openness · Conscientiousness · Extraversion · Agreeableness · Neuroticism. Skiptomaincontent Assessments | HRGuides WhatAreTheBig5PersonalityTraits? 11minutes|02March2021 Tableofcontents Whatarethebigfivepersonalitytraits?  Whodevelopedthebig5personalitytraits? Whatfactorsinfluencethebig5traits?  Big5personalitytraitstests Howdothebigfivepersonalitytraitspredictbehaviouratwork? HowcanThomashelpyoufindtherightpersonforyourrole? Many modernandtraditionalstudiesinpsychologypointto5basicdimensionsofpersonality.Evidenceofthistheoryhasgrownovertheyearswiththeprincipletheoryemerging in1949.Thefivebroadpersonalitytraitsdescribedbythetheoryareextraversion(alsooftenspelledextroversion),agreeableness,openness,conscientiousness,andneuroticism. Thefivebasicpersonalitytraitsisatheorydevelopedin1949byD.W.Fiske(1949)andlaterexpandeduponbyotherresearchersincludingNorman(1967),Smith(1967),Goldberg(1981),andMcCrae&Costa(1987). Researchershadspentyearsbeforetryingtopindowncharactertraitsasawayofanalysing people’sbehaviour.Atonepoint,GordonAllportfoundover4000traits.Evenwhenthiswasreducedto16itwasseenastoocomplicated.Thisiswherethefivebigpersonalitytraitsbegan.  Thesebroadcategorieshavebeenresearchedanddevelopedovertheyearsand,whilstthereisextensivestudyintoeacharea,researchersdon’talwaysagreeonthedefinitionofeachcharacteristic.  Whatarethebigfivepersonalitytraits?  Openness Openness isacharacteristicthatincludesimaginationandinsight.Theworld,otherpeopleandaneagernesstolearnandexperiencenewthingsisparticularlyhighforthispersonalitytrait.Itleadstohavingabroadrangeofinterestsandbeingmoreadventurouswhenitcomestodecisionmaking.  Creativityalsoplaysabigpartintheopennesstrait;thisleadstoagreatercomfortzonewhenitcomestoabstractandlateralthinking. Thinkofthatpersonwho’salwaysorderingthemostexoticthingonthemenu,goingtodifferentplacesandhavinginterestswhichyouwouldneverhavethoughtof…thatissomeonewhohasahighopennesstrait. Anyonelowinthistraittendstobeviewedwithmoretraditionalapproachestolifeandmaystrugglewhenitcomestoproblemsolvingoutsidetheircomfortzoneofknowledge. Conscientiousness  Conscientiousness isatraitthatincludeshighlevelsofthoughtfulness,goodimpulsecontrol,andgoal-directedbehaviours.Thisorganisedandstructuredapproachisoftenfoundwithinpeoplewhoworkinscienceandevenhigh-retailfinancewheredetailorientationandorganisationarerequiredasaskillset.  Ahighlyconscientiouspersonwillregularlyplanaheadandanalysetheirownbehaviourtoseehowitaffectsothers.ProjectmanagementteamsandHRdepartmentsregularlyhavehighlyconscientiouspeopleworkingintheirteamstohelpbalanceoutthestructuralroleswithintheoverall teamdevelopment.  Agoodexampleofaconscientiouspersonwouldbesomeoneyouknowwhoisalwaysplanningaheadforthenexttimeyoumeet-andinthemeantime,regularlystayingincontact,checkinginonyourwellbeing.Theyliketoorganisearoundcertaindatesandeventsandarefocusedonyouwhenyoumeet.  Peoplelowinconscientiousnesstendtodislikestructureandschedules,procrastinateonimportanttasksandfailtocompletetasksaswell. Extraversion Extraversion (sometimesreferredtoasExtroversion)isatraitthatmanywillhavecomeacrossintheir ownlives.It’seasilyidentifiableandwidelyrecognisableas“someonewhogetsenergisedinthecompanyofothers.” This,amongstothertraitswhichinclude,talkativeness,assertivenessandhighamountsofemotionalexpressiveness,havemadeextravertedpeoplewidelyrecognisableovermanyyearsofsocialinteraction. Weallhavethatonefriendorfamilymember-orseveral-whoaren’texactlywallflowersinasocialinteraction.Theythriveonbeingthecentreofattention,enjoymeetingnewpeopleandsomehowtendtohavethebiggestfriendsandacquaintancegroupyouhaveknown.  Theoppositeis,ofcourse,someoneelseinourliveswemayknow,anintrovert.Theyprefersolitudeandhavelessenergyinsocialsituations.Beingatthecentreofattentionormakingsmalltalkcanbequitetaxing. Extrovertstendtohaveverypublicfacingrolesincluding areassuchassales,marketing,teachingandpolitics.Seenasleaders,extrovertedpeoplewillbemorelikelytolead thanstandinthecrowdandbeseentonotbedoinganything.   Agreeableness Peoplewhoexhibithigh agreeableness willshowsignsoftrust,altruism,kindness,andaffection.Highlyagreeablepeopletendtohavehighprosocialbehaviourswhichmeansthatthey’remoreinclinedtobe helpingotherpeople.  Sharing,comfortingandcooperatingaretraitsthatlendthemselvestohighlyagreeablepersonalitytypes.Empathytowardsothersiscommonlyunderstoodasanotherformofagreeablenessevenifthetermdoesn’tquitefit.  Theoppositetoagreeablenessisdisagreeablenessbutitmanifestsinbehaviourtraitsthataresociallyunpleasant.Manipulation andnastinesstowardsothers,alackofcaringorsympathy,alackoftaking interestinothersandtheirproblemsareallquitecommon.  Agreeablepeopletendtofindcareersinareaswheretheycanhelpthemost.Charityworkers,medicine,mentalhealthandeventhosewhovolunteerinsoupkitchensanddedicatetimetothethirdsector(socialstudies)arehighintheagreeablenesschart. Neuroticism Neuroticism ischaracterisedbysadness,moodiness,andemotionalinstability.Oftenmistakenforanti-socialbehaviour,orworseagreaterpsychologicalissue,neuroticismisaphysicalandemotionalresponsetostressandperceivedthreatsinsomeone’sdaily life. Individualswhoexhibithighlevelsofneuroticismwilltendtoexperiencemoodswings,anxietyandirritability.Someindividualswhoexperiencesuddenchangesincharacterfromaday-to-dayperspectivecouldbehighlyneuroticandrespondtohighstresslevelsintheirworkandpersonallives.  Anxiety,whichplaysalargepartinthemakeupofneuroticism,isaboutanindividual'sabilitytocopewithstressandperceivedoractualrisk.Peoplewhosufferwithneuroticismwilloverthinkalotofsituationsandfinddifficultyinrelaxingevenintheirownspace. Ofcourse,thosewhoranklowerontheneuroticlevelwillexhibitamorestableandemotionallyresilientattitudetostressandsituations.Lowneuroticsufferersalsorarelyfeelsadordepressed,takingthetimetofocusonthepresentmomentandnotgetinvolvedinmentalarithmeticonpossiblestress-inducingfactors. Whodevelopedthebig5personalitytraits? Originallydevelopedin1949,thebig5personalitytraitsisatheoryestablished byD.W.FiskeandlaterexpandeduponbyotherresearchersincludingNorman(1967),Smith(1967),Goldberg(1981),andMcCrae&Costa(1987). It’ssuggestedthatasearlythelate19thcenturysocialpsychologistsweretryingtogainamorescientificunderstandingofpersonalitybutitwasn’tuntilthefirstofficialstudyinthe1930sbyGordonAllportandHenryOdbertthatpersonalityhadsomesortofscientificacknowledgement.Theytook18,000wordsfromWebster’sDictionarytodescribepersonalitytraitsandfoundadjectivesthatdescribednon-physicalcharacteristicscreatinga4500wordbankofobservablebehaviourmarkers.  Laterstudieswereabletoidentifymanyoverlapsandspecifictraitsperpersonwhichhasallowed amorecondensedandcomprehensivereviewofpersonalitytraits.Thebig5arestillwidelyusedtodayasthebasisofglobalstudy. Whatfactorsinfluencethebig5traits?  Fromnatureandnurturetoageandmaturation,thebig5traitshavebeenwidelystudiedwherewecanseewhatinfluencestheirimpactonaperson’sbehaviourandcharacter.  Personalityhasoftenbeenhypothesisedasaquestionofnurtureornature.Oneparticularstudylookedat123pairsofidenticaltwinsand127pairsoffraternaltwins.“Thefindingssuggestedthattheheritabilityofeachtraitwas53percentforextraversion,41percentforagreeableness,44percentforconscientiousness,41percentforneuroticism,and61percentforopenness.” Ithasalsobeenwidelyrecognisedthattheolderweget,themoreourbehaviourtraitswillchange.Webecomelessextraverted,lessneurotic,andlessopentonew experienceswhilstouragreeablenessandconscientiousnesswillgrowaswegetolder. Domenandwomendifferwiththebig5traits?  Thegeneralconsensusisthatmenandwomenareactuallymorealikethanwhatnormativesocialsciencewouldhaveusbelieve.Butasthetitlewouldsuggest,therearesomeexceptions.  WeinsbergandDeYoungin2011studiedthebig5traitsandinparticular GenderDifferencesinPersonalityacrosstheTenAspectsoftheBigFive. TheyconcludedthatwomentendtoscorehigheronExtraversion,Agreeableness,andNeuroticismthanmen.  Otherstudieshaveconcludedthatwhilstthedifferencesmaybepresent,sometraitsarenotextensivelyseparate.Gettingolderwilltendtoalignbehaviourtraitssuchasagreeablenessandextraversionwherebothgenderstendtoscorelowerastimemoveson.   Big5personalitytraitstests Wecansuccessfullymeasurepersonalitytraitswithdifferenttoolsandtechniques.Allinall,thesetestsaretryingtodiscoverhowmuchyourbehaviourvariesfromhightolowinthefivetraitswhichinclude;Openness,Conscientiousness,Extraversion,AgreeablenessandNeuroticism. Howarethetraitsmeasured? Traditionally,abig5personalitytestistakenwithaquestionnaireandamultiplechoiceresponse.  Forexample,thesequestionswillaskhowmuchapersonagreesordisagreesthatheorsheissomeonewhoexemplifiesvariousspecificstatements,suchas: “Isopentotryingnewexperiences”(foropenness,oropen-mindedness) “Isalwaysthinkingaboutothers”(forconscientiousness) “Isthecentreofattentionataparty”(forextroversion) “Istrusting ofothers”(foragreeableness) “Isanxiousaboutthefutureallthetime”(forneuroticism,ornegativeemotionality) Theresponses,StronglyagreetoStronglyDisagree(withalternativesinbetween)willdeterminetowhatscalethepersonmay begroupedintodifferentpersonalitytraits.  Arebigfivepersonalitytestsreliable? Assessmentsbasedonthebig5personalitytestsareveryreliable,providedthatsufficientresearchhasbeencarriedoutandsubstantiated.  Itis,todate,themostscientificallyvalidatedandreliablepsychologicalmodeltomeasurepersonality.Itisusedtohelppredictbehaviouraswellaspersonality. Itremainsadependablemodelthatbusinessesandscientificstudieshavebeenabletouse consistentlyoveralongperiodoftimeinhelpingtocreatenewmodels,whichpredictsomeone’sbehaviouratwork,responsetostressfulsituationsandevenunderstandingaspectsofrecordedsocialstudies. Howdothebigfivepersonalitytraitspredictbehaviouratwork? Whenhiringemployees(ortestingcurrentones),thebig5 personalitytraitshelpusunderstandbehaviourintheworkplaceandaccuratelypredict,inmanycases,futureperformance.Eachpersonalitytypewillhaveanimpactwithintheworkingenvironmentandamongstotherstaff.Beingabletoidentifywheretherecouldbeapositiveornegativeimpactcan help influencedecisionsaround hiringorretainingstaff. Acandidatewithahigh openness scorewouldbewillingtolearnnewskillsandtools.Presentedwithmoreabstractproblems,theyaremorelikelytothinkofabstractsolutionsandwouldbefocusedontacklingnewproblemsthatwereperhapspreviouslyoverlooked.  Candidateswithahigh conscientiousness scorewouldn’tnecessarilybesatattheirdeskuntilmidnighteveryevening!Theywouldhoweverbekeen togettheirworkdone,meetdeadlinesandbeaself-starter;requiringlittlehand-holdingtogetthetaskdone.Someonescoringlowontheotherhand,wouldneedalotmorefocus,timeandattentiontothetaskathand.  Theideal extraversion scoreswoulddependontheroleyou’rehiringfor.Seenbymanytobeleadersinateam,ahighextraversionscorewoulddowellinenvironmentswheretheythriveoffinteractionwithothers:;sales,marketing&PRallrequirealevelofpeople-facingskills.Moretechnicaljobsetupswherespecificfocusoradegreeofisolationisneeded would,however,notbeagoodfit.  Acandidatewhoshowshigh agreeableness wouldsuitarolewherepersonalskillsandanabilitytobeattheserviceofothersareneeded.Ofcourse,theoppositewouldbebadinastrongteamenvironmentandcausesignificantissuesinordertoworktowardsacommongoalortask. Finally,acandidatewhoexhibitshigh neuroticism willnotbesuitedtoarolewherethereare consistentchanges,tasksthatrequirestrongself-startertendenciesorhighstresslevels.Thosewithlowneuroticismscoreswill,however,thriveinthesekindsofworkplacescenarios. Thesetraitshelpustounderstandhowwemaybehaveinthefuture,inourworkplaceandundercertaincircumstancesas.Forbusinesses,theycanidentifyfuturetalent,derailersandevenpotentialforsuccess. HowcanThomashelpyoufindtherightpersonforyourrole? TheThomas WorkplacePersonalityTest coversareasofpersonalitytestingbasedonBig5theory.Alsoknownas theHighPotentialTraitIndicator(orHPTI),itprovidesvaluableinsightinto aperson'sstrengthsandpotentialderailers,includingtheirleadershippotential. DevelopedbyIanMacRaeandAdrianFurnhamin2006,theHPTIhasbeendesignedbasedonan‘optimality’model,whichassumesthatpersonalitytraitscanbeconsidered‘optimal’basedontherequirementsofaparticularjobroleorposition,suchasseniorexecutiveleadership. Basedon aself-reportquestionnaire,theanswers have7levelsofagreementona1-7Likertscale(1‘disagreecompletely’to7‘agreecompletely)with78uniqueitems,andthetesttakesaslittleas8minutestocomplete.  IfyouareinterestedinfindingoutmoreabouthowourWorkplacePersonalityassessmentcanhelpyouandyourbusiness,please speaktooneofourteam.   PleaseselectwhichThomasproductyouwouldliketosigninto Chooseyourplatform Ournewtalentassessmentplatform TheoriginalplatformforThomasassessments Candidatesignin Theportalforassessmenttakers