Where do you fall in the OCEAN of personality?

Earlier theories have suggested various numbers.

Many researchers felt that Cattell’s theory was too complicated and Eysenck’s too limited in scope.

big five personality traits

Verywell / Joshua Seong

An Easy Way to Remember the Big 5

Need help remembering exactly what the five traits are?

CANOE (for conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion) is another option.

For example, extraversion represents a continuum between extreme extraversion and extreme introversion.

In the real world, most people lie somewhere in between.

That said, these five traits are usually described as follows.

People who are high in this personality trait also tend to be more adventurous andcreative.

Conversely, people low in this personality trait are often much more traditional and may struggle withabstract thinking.

They plan ahead, consider how their behavior affects others, and are conscious of deadlines.

If a person scores low on this personality trait, it might mean they are less structured and organized.

They may procrastinate when it comes to getting things done, sometimes missing deadlines completely.

Being around others helps them feel energized and excited.

People who are low in this personality trait (orintroverted) tend to be more reserved.

They have less energy in social options, and social events can feel draining.

Introverts often require a period of solitude and quiet to “recharge.”

Individuals who are high in neuroticism tend to experiencemood swings, anxiety, irritability, and sadness.

People who are low in this personality trait tend to be more stable and emotionallyresilient.

These other traits are often split into two categories: positive personality traits and negative personality traits.

These are traits that may hold you back in your life or hurt your relationships with others.

(They’re also good traits to focus on for personal growth.)

Having different levels of each trait may provide different evolutionary advantages depending on the situation and environment.

Twin studies suggest that bothnature and nurtureplay a role in the development of each of the five personality traits.

One four-year study of working-age adults found that personality changed little as a result ofadverse life events.

Studies show that maturation may have an impact on the five personality traits.

Agreeableness and conscientiousness, on the other hand, tend to increase as people grow older.

Takeaways

Always remember that behavior involves an interaction between a person’s underlying personality and situational variables.

The situation that someone finds themselves in plays a role inhow they might react.

However, in most cases, people offer responses that are consistent with their underlying personality traits.

These dimensions represent broad areas of personality.

But personality is also complex and varied.

So, a person may display behaviors across several of these personality traits.

Experts have found that these traits are universal and provide an accurate portrait of human personality.

Instead, these dimensions represent qualities that all people possess in varying amounts.

2015;5:e604.

Testing the five-factor model of personality variation among forager-farmers in the Bolivian Amazon.J Pers Soc Psychol.

2013;104(2):354-370. doi:10.1037/a0030841

Buss DM.Social adaptation and five major factors of personality.

In:The Five-Factor Model of Personality: Theoretical Perspectives.

Guilford Press; 1996:180-207.

2022;122(2):337-350. doi:10.1037/pspp0000385

Cooper LD, Balsis S, Oltmanns TF.Aging: empirical contribution.

2018;2(10):735-742.

doi:10.1038/s41562-018-0419-z