The Big 5: What does the test say about you?

What do we need to know about a person to know them well? What does it mean if someone is shy? How much do people change in their personality over their life?

Our lives are shaped heavily by personality. We are constantly describing people as smart, funny, selfless, or organized. We use both positive and negative words to compare our traits to others. For decades, many researchers were on the quest to limit the number of personality traits that were being used to describe an individual. Eventually, in 1961, Ernest Tupes and Raymond Christal were able to narrow them down to just five: Neuroticism, Extroversion, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness and Openness to Experience. A few years later, the five factors were replicated in more studies and found to be an “adequate taxonomy of personality traits” (McCrae and Costa, 2009).

The most important aspect is where we fall on the introversion-extroversion spectrum. Today introversion and extroversion are two of the most exhaustively researched subjects in personality psychology, arousing curiosity of hundreds of scientists (Cain, 2013).

We live in a value system called Extrovert Ideal — the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and confortable in the spotlight (Cain, 2013). Introversion on the other hand, falls between disappointment and pathology. As a society, it is more appealing to be an extrovert. For example, a talkative person, is rated as smarter, better looking, more interesting, and more desirable as a friend (Cain, 2013). It has become a social standard most try to conform to.

The Big 5 traits influence many aspects of our life, including predictions in job performance. Conscientiousness is the most valuable, as those who describe themselves as reliable, organized, and hard working (i.e. high on conscientiousness), appear to perform better at work than those with fewer of these qualities (Gregory, 2016). In one of my other Psychology classes, my professor also informed us that people who score high on conscientiousness would have the best work and employment outcomes. After learning about the Big 5 traits, I decided to take the online test to see where I fall on the spectrums.

Although I was not surprised about my levels of extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, I was shocked at how low I scored in openness to experience. This trait is often described as individuals who are inventive and curious. They tend to enjoy adventures and prefer not following a routine.

Since I scored low in conscientiousness, does that mean I will be unsuccessful in finding jobs or at work? Does falling in the middle of the spectrum for neuroticism mean that I can be sensitive and nervous as well as secure and confident? Can one test accurately tell someone so much about themselves? Although my scores were mostly what I perceive myself to be, how well can the Big 5 traits test really describe someone’s personality?

Sources:

Cain, S. (2013). “Quiet”. New York: Crown Publishers.

Gregory, R. (2016). Psychological Testing: History, Principles, and Applications. United States of America: Pearson Education, Inc.

McCrae, R. & Costa, P. (2009). A Trait Theory of Personality: Chapter 2.