The Five Factor Model (337 words) Over several decades, independent streams of systematic research into personality traits have converged on the same general conclusion: the domain of personality attributes can be described by five superordinate constructs (Digman, 1990). These five general, robust factors of personality are now called the “Big Five” and subsume as well as abstract, more specific personal attributes, dispositions, habits and behaviours as a framework (cf. Digman, 1990; MCRae and Costa, 1989; Wiggins and Pincus, 1992). The five global traits in this frame work are: (1) Extraversion, described by a need for stimulation, activity, assertiveness, and quantity and intensity of interpersonal interaction; (2) Agreeableness, represented …show more content…
Some studies state that there is no correlation between personality traits and prosocial behaviour (Wilson, 2000) or prosocial related behaviour such as volunteering (Bekkers, 2006). However, researchers have shown that individual differences in the tendency to help, care and share are relatively stable over time and can be traced back to a common latent personality dimension (Ashton & Lee, 2001; Eisenberg, Carlo, Murphy, & Van Court, 1995; Graziano, 1994; Penner et al., 2005). Furthermore, a number of studies have shown that agreeableness can be seen as the major determinant of prosocial behaviour within the five-factor model (Graziano, Bruce, Sheese, & Tobin, 2007; Graziano & Eisenberg, 1997; Graziano & Tobin, 2002; Tobin, Graziano, Vanman, & Tassinary, 2000). For example, people, high in agreeableness are more willing to donate blood (Bekkers, 2006) and organs (Raichle, 2005), participate in Philanthropy (Ugwu & Okafor, 2016) and engage in voluntary work (Elshaug & Metzer, 2001). Beneath this association between the two factors, a study by Atkins, Hart and Donelly (2005) has examined the direction of influence between them. By assessing children’s personalities and comparing them to their involvement in volunteering in adolescence they found out that “personality trait led to volunteering rather than volunteering shaping personality type” (Atkins, Hart and Donelly, 2005, p. 157). Furthermore, scholars have noted that traits may be indirectly related to social behaviours. A number of possible mediating variables have been posited that might help account for the relations between traits and prosocial behaviours. A Study by Carlo, Okun, Knight and Guzman (2005) found that prosocial value motives are a strong mediator between agreeableness and extraversion and prosocial
To humans, life appears to be a dynamic, unpredictable environment to which diversity they react and behave in a certain particular way best suiting to their respective preferences introducing the notion of personality; Psychologists, over time, after various studies, have come along with a series of standardized characteristics that tend to be the mostly manifested while examining personalities and finally came up with the popularly known as The Big Five Theory. On this paper I will get into a description of myself according this theory’s 5 aspects which are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, agreeableness and Neuroticism;
Cervone, D., Pervin, L. A. (2008). Personality: Theory and research (10th Ed.). New York: Wiley.
Neuroticism boldly contrasts with the other personality traits in the Five Factor Model for personality (Openness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, Contentiousness, and Neuroticism). An individual being high in any of the other four traits could hardly be considered pathological. For example, high levels of agreeableness, within reason, would probably be considered to be a positive and healthy characteristic. However, the discussion regarding neuroticism certainly takes a darker turn. Gunthert, Cohen, and Armeli (1999) in their study, operationally define neuroticism as a predisposition to experience negative affect (negative emotional systems). Lahey (2009) defines it slightly differently, as the tendency to “respond with negative emotions to threat, frustration, or loss.” More generally, the personality trait is characterized by anxiety, angry hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsiveness, and vulnerability (Cervone & Pervin, 2010). Neuroticism has critical implications outside of personality psychology. Some researchers suggest that neuroticism is significantly correlated with both physical and mental health issues more so than any other personality trait variable. This increased risk is not just for a particular group of pathologies; neuroticism has been linked to Axis I and II disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) across the board (Lahey, 2009). In some occupational performance studies, negative affect was negatively related to job performance (Kaplan, Bradley, Luchman, & Haynes, 2009). This may be extrapolated to individuals high in neuroticism, as it the trait is the predisposition for the experience of negative affect. Research on daily stress and coping showed th...
five factor theory is a fairly recent proposal and has its basis in earlier work,
(1997). McRae et al. (1997) attempted to find if the Five-Factor Model was a universal constant in all cultures. They also attempted to see if cultural views would change how the five traits were viewed. The researchers collected data from 6 different translations of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, this inventory looks for universal trait dimensions in a variety of languages. These 6 translations were then compared to the American counterpart. It was found that while some cultures did differ slightly in their view of the five traits found in the Five-Factor Model in comparison to Americans, the traits were still universal. All six translations found the big five traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and opens to experience to be
There has yet to be any determining evidence defines the characteristics of extraversion. The experimenters in this particular experiment have hypothesized that the facets of extraversion are somehow linked by reward sensitivity. This hypothesis was also tested against a model in which they are linked by sociability. There has been much work on this topic in the past, beginning with the works of Jung and James in the early 20th century—to the work of Watson and Clark in 1997. And even after a century of study, they are still unable to truly define the characteristics of the extraversion dimension of personality. In the many attempts to define extraversion, Watson and Clark have defined six basic facets of the personality trait. These are: venturesome, affiliation, positive affectivity, energy, ascendance, and ambition. Researchers Depue and Collins, in 1999, also offered a more succinct depiction of the characteristics of extraversion, this only having three basic parts. The first being affiliation, the enjoyment and value of close interpersonal bonds, also being warm and affectionate. The second, agency, being socially dominant, enjoying leadership roles, being assertive and exhibitionistic, and having a sense of potency in accomplishing goals. The final facet being impuslivity, but this one has been argued upon whether it should be included at all in the characteristics of extraversion at all.
A person’s personality has been the subject of psychological scrutiny for many years. Psychologists have drawn up several theories in an attempt to accurately predict and determine one’s personality. Foremost amongst these, is the “Big Five Trait Theory” which stemmed from Raymond B. Cattell’s theory.
The five-factor model includes five broad domains or dimensions of personality that are used to describe human personality. The five factors are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. While these five traits should be sufficient on their own to describe all facets of a personality, there also should be no correlation between the main factors. The Five Factor Model is now perhaps the most widely use trait theory of personality and has achieved the closest thing to a consensus in personality research. The advantage of this theory is that there have been multiple research studies conducted on this theory. Results suggest that this theory is effective in describing and determining personality. However, this theory is very categorical and does not allow for much flexibility. It also looks at the person personality at that time and now how it developed.
Matthews, G., Deary, I. J., & Whiteman, M. C. (2009). Personality traits. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Tait, D. J., & Whiteman, M. C. (2009, 07 3). Personality Traits of Altruistic People: Empathy and the Big Five Factors. Retrieved from Edinburgh Research Archive: https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/3547
The agreeableness linked to altruism, nurturance, caring and emotional support versus competitiveness, hostility, indifference, self-centeredness, spitefulness and jealousy (Howard & Howard, 1995).
Personality can be defined as an individual’s characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling and acting. Many personality theorists have put forward claims as to where personality is derived from and how it develops throughout an individual’s life. The two main personality theories this essay will be focusing on is the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) (Bandura, 1986) and the Trait Theory – Five Factor Theory (FFT) (McCrae and Costa, 1995). The SCT allocates a central role to cognitive, observational learning and self-regulatory processes (Bandura, 1986). An individual’s personality develops through experiences with their sociocultural environment. Whereas the Trait Theory proposes that all individuals are predisposed with five traits (Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Neuroticism) which determines our personality. This theory also puts forward that personality is stable and cannot change as it’s biologically determined.
Friedman, H. S., & Schustack, M. W. (2012). Personality: Classic theories and modern research (5th ed). Boston , MA, USA: Pearson
Trait approach covers the big five personality traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. These five traits have been identified as the most identifiable personality traits, even across cultures and societies. According to McCrae, Costa, and Busch’s (1986) study on personality system comprehensiveness, the big five personality model included the five traits most identified with by individuals asked to describe themselves and others. I found this segment of the class especially intriguing as it helped me not only learn so much about myself, but also take a deeper look into the personality of my family, peers, and even strangers. I am also more conscious of how I self-monitor my personality traits. For example, I am very much so an introverted person but at times I try to be extroverted based off the environment. In highly social environments, I consciously smile and try to talk to people because I want to be perceived in a favorable light, not actually because I feel the need to be sociable. In other words, I don’t want to be perceived as odd. I believe I developed this form of self-monitoring because when I am introverted at social events people will constantly ask me if I’m ok since I’m quiet, which makes me uncomfortable as they make me the focus. Being the center of attention makes me anxious, and therefore to prevent that I have developed being a fake-extrovert to avoid it. This exemplified how I apply self-monitoring to my everyday life. Trait approach gave me insight into how to identify vastly accepted personality traits, as well as, how each of these traits can be influenced and
During an individual’s progression from childhood into adolescence researchers suggest that agreeableness and conscientiousness increased, while extraversion, neuroticism, and openness dropped (Srivastava, John, Gosling, and Potter, 2003). The fall in extraversion, neuroticism, and openness can be due to an individual’s increased responsibilities and time constraint. Individuals later in life tend to be more mature and experienced with emotional feelings and are able handle themselves well in emotional settings, hence getting a low score on