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big 5 personality
The Big Five Personality Traits, also known as OCEAN or CANOE, are a psychological model that describes five broad dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. These traits are believed to be relatively stable throughout an individual’s lifetime.
Each trait represents a continuum. Individuals can fall anywhere on the continuum for each trait.
Unlike other trait theories that sort individuals into binary categories (i.e.introvert or extrovert), the Big Five Model asserts that each personality trait is a spectrum.
Therefore, individuals are ranked on a scale between the two extreme ends of five broad dimensions:
For instance, when measuring Extraversion, one would not be classified as purely extroverted or introverted, but placed on a scale determining their level of extraversion.
By ranking individuals on each of these traits, it is possible to effectively measure individual differences in personality.
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness describes a person’s ability to regulate impulse control to engage in goal-directed behaviors (Grohol, 2019). It measures elements such as control, inhibition, and persistence of behavior.
Facets of conscientiousness (John & Srivastava, 1999):
Highly conscientious people are usually:Low conscientious people are usually:CompetentIncompotentOrganizedDisorganizedDutifulCarelessAchievement-strivingProcrastinatorsSelf-disciplinedUndisciplinedConsiderateImpulsive
Conscientiousness vs. Lack of Direction
Those who score high on conscientiousness can be described as organized, disciplined, detail-oriented, thoughtful, and careful. They also have good impulse control, which allows them to complete tasks and achieve goals.
Those who score low on conscientiousness may struggle with impulse control, leading to difficulty in completing tasks and fulfilling goals.
They tend to be more disorganized and may dislike too much structure. They may also engage in more impulsive and careless behavior.
Real-life impact of conscientiousness
Reflective questions
Agreeableness
Agreeableness refers to how people tend to treat relationships with others. Unlike extraversion which consists of the pursuit of relationships, agreeableness focuses on people’s orientation and interactions with others (Ackerman, 2017).
Facets of agreeableness (John & Srivastava, 1999):
Highly agreeable people are usually:Low agreeable people are usually:Trustful (forgiving)SkepticalStraightforwardDemandingAltruistic (enjoy helping)Insulting (and belittling others)CompliantStubbornModestShow-offsSympatheticUnsympatheticEmpatheticLess caring
Agreeableness vs. Antagonism
Those high in agreeableness can be described as soft-hearted, trusting, and well-liked. They are sensitive to the needs of others and are helpful and cooperative. People regard them as trustworthy and altruistic.
Those low in agreeableness may be perceived as suspicious, manipulative, and uncooperative. They may be antagonistic when interacting with others, making them less likely to be well-liked and trusted.
Real-life impact of agreeableness
Extraversion
Extraversionreflects the tendency and intensity to which someone seeks interaction with their environment, particularly socially. It encompasses the comfort and assertiveness levels of people in social situations.
Additionally, it also reflects the sources from which someone draws energy.
Facets of extraversion (John & Srivastava, 1999):
Extraversion vs. Introversion
Those high on extraversion are generally assertive, sociable, fun-loving, and outgoing. They thrive in social situations and feel comfortable voicing their opinions. They tend to gain energy and become excited from being around others.
Those who score low in extraversion are often referred to asintroverts. These people tend to be more reserved and quieter. They prefer listening to others rather than needing to be heard.
Introverts often need periods of solitude in order to regain energy as attending social events can be very tiring for them.
Of importance to note is that introverts do not necessarily dislike social events, but instead find them tiring.
Real-life impact of extraversion
Openness to Experience
Openness to experience refers to one’s willingness to try new things as well as engage in imaginative and intellectual activities. It includes the ability to “think outside of the box.”
Facets of openness (John & Srivastava, 1999):
High openness people are usually:Low openness people are usually:CuriousPredictableImaginativeNot very imaginativeCreativeUncomfortable with changeOpen to trying new thingsStrict with routineUnconventionalTraditional
Openness vs. Closedness to Experience
Those who score high on openness to experience are perceived as creative and artistic. They prefer variety and value independence. They are curious about their surroundings and enjoy traveling and learning new things.
People who score low on openness to experience prefer routine. They are uncomfortable with change and trying new things, so they prefer the familiar over the unknown.
As they are practical people, they often find it difficult to think creatively or abstractly.
Real-life impact of openness
Neuroticism
Neuroticism describes the overall emotional stability of an individual through how they perceive the world. It takes into account how likely a person is to interpret events as threatening or difficult.
It also includes one’s propensity to experience negative emotions.
Facets ofneuroticism(John & Srivastava, 1999):
Highly neurotic people are usually:Low neurotic people are usually:AnxiousLaid backHostile (irritable)CalmVery stressedEmotionally stableSelf-conscious (shy)ConfidentVulnerableResillientExperiencing dramatic shifts in moodRarely sad or depressed
Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability
Those who score high on neuroticism often feel anxious, insecure, and self-pitying. They are often perceived as moody and irritable. They are prone to excessive sadness andlow self-esteem.
Those who score low on neuroticism are more likely to be calm, secure, and self-satisfied. They are less likely to be perceived as anxious or moody. They are more likely to have high self-esteem and remain resilient.
Real-life impact of neuroticism
New research on media and technology
Manolika (2023) investigated how Big Five personality traits relate to preferences for different movie and book genres among university students. Key findings include:
These results suggest that personality traits influence media choices, with individuals selecting entertainment that aligns with their psychological needs and personality aspects.
Roehrick et al. (2023) examined how Big Five traits relate to smartphone use among college students. Key findings include:
These results suggest that both personality traits and contextual factors significantly influence smartphone use patterns.
While traits like extraversion and conscientiousness predict certain aspects of digital behavior, situational elements such as location, social environment, and ongoing activities play a crucial role in determining the duration and frequency of smartphone use.
Critical Evaluation
Descriptor Rather Than a Theory
The Big Five was developed to organize personality traits rather than as a comprehensive theory of personality.
Therefore, it is more descriptive than explanatory and does not fully account for differences between individuals (John & Srivastava, 1999). It also does not sufficiently provide a causal reason for human behavior.
Cross-Cultural Validity
Most previous studies have tested the presence of the Big Five in urbanized, literate populations.
More research on illiterate and non-industrialized populations is needed to clarify such discrepancies.
Gender Differences
Differences in the Big Five personality traits between genders have been observed, but these differences are small compared to differences between individuals within the same gender.
Costa et al. (2001) gathered data from over 23,000 men and women in 26 countries. They found that “gender differences are modest in magnitude, consistent with gender stereotypes, and replicable across cultures” (p. 328).
Women reported themselves to be higher in Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Warmth (a facet of Extraversion), and Openness to Feelings compared to men. Men reported themselves to be higher in Assertiveness (a facet of Extraversion) and Openness to Ideas.
Another interesting finding was that bigger gender differences were reported in Western, industrialized countries.
Researchers proposed that the most plausible reason for this finding was attribution processes.
They surmised that the actions of women inindividualistic countrieswould be more likely to be attributed to their personality, whereas actions of women incollectivistic countrieswould be more likely to be attributed to their compliance with gender role norms.
Factors that Influence the Big 5
Jang et al. (1996) conducted a study with 123 pairs of identical twins and 127 pairs of fraternal twins.
They estimated the heritability of conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience, and extraversion to be 44%, 41%, 41%, 61%, and 53%, respectively.
This finding was similar to the findings of another study, where the heritability of conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness to experience and extraversion were estimated to be 49%, 48%, 49%, 48%, and 50%, respectively (Jang et al., 1998).
Heritability for males and females does not seem to differ significantly (Leohlin et al., 1998).
Studies from different countries also support the idea of a strong genetic basis for the Big Five personality traits (Riemann et al., 1997; Yamagata et al., 2006).
The Roehrick et al. (2023) study on smartphone use revealed that while personality traits like extraversion and conscientiousness influence technology use, context plays a crucial role.
Most variability in smartphone use was within-person, suggesting that situational factors often outweigh personality in determining behavior.
This finding underscores the importance of considering both individual traits and environmental factors when studying personality influences on behavior.
Stability of the Traits
People’s scores of the Big Five remain relatively stable for most of their life with some slight changes from childhood to adulthood.
They found that overall agreeableness and conscientiousness increased with age. There was no significant trend for extraversion overall although gregariousness decreased and assertiveness increased.
Openness to experience and neuroticism decreased slightly from adolescence to middle adulthood.
The researchers concluded that there were more significant trends in specific facets (i.e. adventurousness and depression) rather than in the Big Five traits overall.
History and Background
The Big Five model resulted from the contributions of many independent researchers. Gordon Allport and Henry Odbert first formed a list of 4,500 terms relating to personality traits in 1936 (Vinney, 2018).
Their work provided the foundation for other psychologists to begin determining the basic dimensions of personality.
In the 1940s, Raymond Cattell and his colleagues used factor analysis (a statistical method) to narrow down Allport’s list to sixteen traits.
However, numerous psychologists examined Cattell’s list and found that it could be further reduced to five traits.
Among these psychologists were Donald Fiske, Norman, Smith, Goldberg, and McCrae & Costa (Cherry, 2019).
In particular, Lewis Goldberg advocated heavily for five primary factors of personality (Ackerman, 2017).
The model became known as the “Big Five” and has seen received much attention. It has been researched across many populations and cultures and continues to be the most widely accepted theory of personality today.
Each of the Big Five personality traits represents extremely broad categories which cover many personality-related terms. Each trait encompasses a multitude of other facets.
For example, the trait of Extraversion is a category that contains labels such as Gregariousness (sociable), Assertiveness (forceful), Activity (energetic), Excitement-seeking (adventurous), Positive emotions (enthusiastic), and Warmth (outgoing) (John & Srivastava, 1999).
Therefore, the Big Five, while not completely exhaustive, cover virtually all personality-related terms.
Another important aspect of the Big Five Model is its approach to measuring personality. It focuses on conceptualizing traits as a spectrum rather than black-and-white categories.
It recognizes that most individuals are not on the polar ends of the spectrum but rather somewhere in between.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 5 Really the Magic Number?
A common criticism of the Big Five is that each trait is too broad. Although the Big Five is useful in terms of providing a rough overview of personality, more specific traits are required to be of use for predicting outcomes (John & Srivastava, 1999).
There is also an argument from psychologists that more than five traits are required to encompass the entirety of personality.
HEXACO retains the original traits from the Big Five Model but contains one additional trait: Honesty-Humility, which they describe as the extent to which one places others’ interests above their own.
What are the differences between the Big Five and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?The Big Five personality traits and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) are both popular models used to understand personality. However, they differ in several ways.The Big Five traits represent five broad dimensions of personality. Each trait is measured along a continuum, and individuals can fall anywhere along that spectrum.In contrast, the MBTI categorizes individuals into one of 16 personality types based on their preferences for four dichotomies: extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving.This model assumes that people are either one type or another rather than being on a continuum.Overall, while both models aim to describe and categorize personality, the Big Five is thought to have more empirical research and more scientific support, while the MBTI is more of a theory and often lacks strong empirical evidence.
What are the differences between the Big Five and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?
The Big Five personality traits and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) are both popular models used to understand personality. However, they differ in several ways.The Big Five traits represent five broad dimensions of personality. Each trait is measured along a continuum, and individuals can fall anywhere along that spectrum.In contrast, the MBTI categorizes individuals into one of 16 personality types based on their preferences for four dichotomies: extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving.This model assumes that people are either one type or another rather than being on a continuum.Overall, while both models aim to describe and categorize personality, the Big Five is thought to have more empirical research and more scientific support, while the MBTI is more of a theory and often lacks strong empirical evidence.
The Big Five personality traits and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) are both popular models used to understand personality. However, they differ in several ways.
The Big Five traits represent five broad dimensions of personality. Each trait is measured along a continuum, and individuals can fall anywhere along that spectrum.
In contrast, the MBTI categorizes individuals into one of 16 personality types based on their preferences for four dichotomies: extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving.
This model assumes that people are either one type or another rather than being on a continuum.
Overall, while both models aim to describe and categorize personality, the Big Five is thought to have more empirical research and more scientific support, while the MBTI is more of a theory and often lacks strong empirical evidence.
Is it possible to improve certain Big Five traits through therapy or other interventions?It can be possible to improve certain Big Five traits through therapy or other interventions.For example, individuals who score low in conscientiousness may benefit from therapy that focuses on developing planning, organizational, and time-management skills.Those with high neuroticism may benefit fromcognitive-behavioral therapy,which helps individuals manage negative thoughts and emotions.Additionally, therapy such asmindfulness-based interventionsmay increase scores in traits such as openness and agreeableness.However, the extent to which these interventions can change personality traits long-term is still a topic of debate among psychologists.
Is it possible to improve certain Big Five traits through therapy or other interventions?
It can be possible to improve certain Big Five traits through therapy or other interventions.For example, individuals who score low in conscientiousness may benefit from therapy that focuses on developing planning, organizational, and time-management skills.Those with high neuroticism may benefit fromcognitive-behavioral therapy,which helps individuals manage negative thoughts and emotions.Additionally, therapy such asmindfulness-based interventionsmay increase scores in traits such as openness and agreeableness.However, the extent to which these interventions can change personality traits long-term is still a topic of debate among psychologists.
It can be possible to improve certain Big Five traits through therapy or other interventions.
For example, individuals who score low in conscientiousness may benefit from therapy that focuses on developing planning, organizational, and time-management skills.
Those with high neuroticism may benefit fromcognitive-behavioral therapy,which helps individuals manage negative thoughts and emotions.
Additionally, therapy such asmindfulness-based interventionsmay increase scores in traits such as openness and agreeableness.
However, the extent to which these interventions can change personality traits long-term is still a topic of debate among psychologists.
Is it possible to have a high score in more than one Big Five trait?Yes, it is possible to have a high score in more than one Big Five trait. Each trait is independent of the others, meaning that an individual can score high on openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness, for example, all at the same time.Similarly, an individual can also score low on one trait and high on another. The Big Five traits are measured along a continuum, so individuals can fall anywhere along that spectrum for each trait.Therefore, it is common for individuals to have a unique combination of high and low scores across the Big Five personality traits.
Is it possible to have a high score in more than one Big Five trait?
Yes, it is possible to have a high score in more than one Big Five trait. Each trait is independent of the others, meaning that an individual can score high on openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness, for example, all at the same time.Similarly, an individual can also score low on one trait and high on another. The Big Five traits are measured along a continuum, so individuals can fall anywhere along that spectrum for each trait.Therefore, it is common for individuals to have a unique combination of high and low scores across the Big Five personality traits.
Yes, it is possible to have a high score in more than one Big Five trait. Each trait is independent of the others, meaning that an individual can score high on openness, extraversion, and conscientiousness, for example, all at the same time.
Similarly, an individual can also score low on one trait and high on another. The Big Five traits are measured along a continuum, so individuals can fall anywhere along that spectrum for each trait.
Therefore, it is common for individuals to have a unique combination of high and low scores across the Big Five personality traits.
References
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Buecker, S., Maes, M., Denissen, J. J., & Luhmann, M. (2020). Loneliness and the Big Five personality traits: A meta–analysis.European Journal of Personality,34(1), 8-28.https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2229
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The Big Five personality traits are five broad dimensions of personality, often remembered with the acronym OCEAN: Openness (to experience), Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (emotional instability).
Big 5 Personality Traits
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Annabelle G.Y. LimPsychology GraduateBA (Hons), Psychology, Harvard UniversityAnnabelle G.Y. Lim is a graduate in psychology from Harvard University. She has served as a research assistant at the Harvard Adolescent Stress & Development Lab.
Annabelle G.Y. LimPsychology GraduateBA (Hons), Psychology, Harvard University
Annabelle G.Y. Lim
Psychology Graduate
BA (Hons), Psychology, Harvard University
Annabelle G.Y. Lim is a graduate in psychology from Harvard University. She has served as a research assistant at the Harvard Adolescent Stress & Development Lab.
