Have you ever considered what goes to make up a person's personality? Or maybe you feel that your character is both unique and random in its nature.
Well, prepare to be amazed. In todays article you will not only discover that your personality falls into one of only five types but that this remains true of every single person on the planet today!
Now, can you guess which personality type you are? Read on to find out:
What Are the Big Five Dimensions of Personality?
Personality researchers have proposed that there are five basic dimensions of personality.
Today, many contemporary personality psychologists believe that there are five basic dimensions of personality, often referred to as the "Big 5" personality traits. Previous trait theorist had suggested a various number of possible traits, some detailing up to 4,000!
Currently however, many researchers believe that they are just five, main, core personality
traits.
- Extraversion: This trait includes characteristics such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness.
- Agreeableness: This personality dimension includes attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors.
- Conscientiousness: Common features of this dimension include high levels of thoughtfulness, with good impulse control and goal-directed behaviors. Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful of details.
- Neuroticism: Individuals high in this trait tend to experience emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and sadness.
- Openness: This trait features characteristics such as imagination and insight, and those high in this trait also tend to have a broad range of interests.
It is important to note that each of the five personality factors
represents a range between two extremes. For example, extraversion
represents a continuum between extreme extraversion and extreme introversion. In the real world, most people lie somewhere in between the two polar ends of each dimension.
Big 5 Personality Research
McCrae and his colleagues have also found that the big five traits are also remarkably universal. One study that looked at people from more than 50 different cultures found that the five dimensions could be accurately used to describe personality.
Based on this research, many psychologists now believe that the
five personality dimensions are not only universal; they also have
biological origins. Psychology David Buss has proposed that an
evolutionary explanation for these five core personality traits,
suggesting that these personality traits represent the most important
qualities that shape our social landscape.
Final Thoughts
Always remember that behavior involves an interaction between a person's underlying personality and situational variables. The situation that a person finds himself or herself in plays a major role in how the person reacts. However, in most cases, people offer responses that are consistent with their underlying personality traits.
These dimensions represent broad areas of personality. Research has
demonstrated that these groupings of characteristics tend to occur
together in many people. For example, individuals who are sociable tend
to be talkative. However, these traits do not always occur together. Personality is a complex and varied and each person may display behaviors across several of these dimensions.
Article courtesy of www.About.com
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