The Big Five Personality Test
Introduction
Researchers and psychologists have identified the following characteristic traits
as the central dimensions of our personalities: extraversion, agreeableness,
conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. These 5 traits are components of
what has become known as “The Big Five Personality Theory”. While many
previous theories indicated that there were many more aspects to personality—
some listing as many as 4,000 traits—recent trends have leaned towards a more
streamlined foundation which can be used to explain human behavior.
History
Research to support the Big Five Personality Theory began in the late 1940’s
through the works of clinical psychologist D. W. Fiske. This direction was
continued by other researchers throughout the remainder of the 20th century. In
fact, many researchers had independently defined the Big Five characteristics
without initially realizing the overlap with Dr. Fiske’s work. In the late 1950’s,
Ernest Tupes and Raymond Cristal began work on a similar model. By the early
1990’s a well established metric for personality identification had been adopted
and implemented throughout much of the business world.
Interestingly, further research has shown that the five traits model is universally
applicable. Studies conducted on subjects from more than 50 different countries
shows that the traits identified in the Big Five Personality Test can accurately
describe personalities across a multitude of cultures. There are some
researchers who suggest that these easily recognizable personality traits have a
biological component. Psychologist Davis Buss suggests that personality is an
evolutionary factor and that our personality traits influence the ways in which
society has evolved.
Big Five Tests and How They Are Used
Organizations and corporations use the Big Five Personality Tests to identify
employee traits and behaviors so that individuals can be placed in the jobs and
positions that are most suited for them. These tests can also be used in
employee performance evaluations and for optimizing team dynamics.
Furthermore, they are a valuable tool which can help management to identify
individual strengths and weaknesses within their workforce – an important factor
in determining what types of individuals should be slated for hire when openings
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become available.
The Big Five Personality Traits
While many psychologists may differ on the specifics of each personality
dimension, there are some very basic, generally agreed upon descriptions of the
traits each category possesses. It is important to note that each category
represents a wide range of extremes. As you explore and identify the different
categories, you should understand that behaviors are always rooted in
individuals and the situations in which they find themselves. The circumstances
of the situation may determine the ways in which people respond; that being
said, individuals generally react in ways that are consistent with their
personalities. Let’s now take a look at those traits and the extremes contained
within each subset.
Extraversion
This trait includes assertiveness, excitability, energy, emotions, and sociability.
Extraverts are energized by their interactions with others. To represent the
opposite of extraversion, introversion refers to people whose personalities are
turned within. These individuals are quiet, reserved, and gain their energy from
time spent alone. While extraversion and introversion represent opposite ends of
the spectrum, most people fall somewhere in the middle. The extravert-introvert
dimensions are identified in the Myers-Briggs indicator that we explored in the
Management Skills and Styles Assessment previously assigned in this course.
Agreeableness
This trait identifies individuals who are friendly, kind, affectionate, and
compassionate. This personality type relates to people who get along well with
others. They have faith in others and believe that people are honest and
trustworthy. People with low levels of agreeableness generally do not care about
getting along with others and put their own interests first. They tend to be
unfriendly, skeptical, and suspicious of others.
Conscientiousness
This dimension represents individuals who are goal-directed and exhibit strong
measures of self-control. These people are methodical, organized, and reliable.
They are detail-oriented and considered by others to be intelligent and thorough.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, people who are unconscientious are
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thought of by others as being unreliable and having a lack of ambition. While we
might assume that being conscientious is the preferred state, people who are
highly conscientious may also be viewed as workaholics, who are rigid and
inflexible. Additionally, while those who are unconscientous may be viewed
negatively, they also might have more pleasant interactions with their coworkers
and subordinates, and are not usually perceived as being too rigid.
Neuroticism
This characteristic refers to emotional stability. Those people with high
neuroticism may be anxious, moody, tense, and depressed. They may have
negative thoughts and feelings. Having high levels of neuroticism can impact how
people think, make decisions, and deal with the stresses associated with work
and their personal lives. People with low levels of neuroticism, on the other hand,
are calm and have positive thoughts and feelings. They have an easier time
coping with life’s pressures and situations.
Openness
This dimension refers to people who are imaginative, creative, and curious. They
have a wide range of interests, especially in art, culture, and nature. They enjoy
learning and like to have new experiences. They are generally non-conforming
and considered to be intellectual. On the other hand, those with lower levels of
openness tend to be conventional and less aware of their feelings. They have
fewer interests and may be resistant to change.
Summary
The Big Five Personalities identified by researchers are extraversion,
agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness.
The study of this theory goes back to the 1940’s and continued to grow in
popularity well into the late 20th century.
One theory suggests that personality has a basis in biology and has been
an evolutionary process.
The Big Five Test is used in employee placement and career
development.
Each of the Big Five Traits represents a wide spectrum; most individuals
fall somewhere in the middle of these personality traits.
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Extraverts are energetic social beings who get their energy from
interaction with others, while introverts represent individuals who prefer to
be alone and are inner-focused.
Agreeableness represents people who are social, friendly, and trusting of
others, while people with low levels of agreeableness are often
uncooperative, anti-social, and untrusting of others.
Conscientious people are goal-oriented, methodical, and organized, while
unconscientious people are those who lack ambition and are unreliable
but remain flexible and have fun.
Neuroticism refers to people’s individual levels of emotional stability with
highly neurotic people being tense, depressed, and oriented toward
negative thinking.
People with low levels of neuroticism are calmer and are better able to
deal with stress.
Openness describes people who are creative and imaginative. These
sorts of people tend to have a wide range of interests, while people with
lower levels of openness are conservative and prefer familiarity.
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