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- Big Five personality traits
Welcome to The Introverted Path!
Happy Thursday! We have a holiday weekend here in the US. I know the work weeks before a holiday weekend can be hectic, so hope everyone will be able to do some relaxing this weekend.
I’m off to the Lake of the Ozarks (yes, from the Netflix show). First time getting to a lake this summer - excited to get out on the water and get some sun! 🌞
In last week’s newsletter about impostor syndrome, I mentioned the Big Five personality traits. This week I wanted to spend some time diving into what those are and how they relate to introversion.
In today’s email:
What are the Big Five personality traits?
Understanding the range of each trait
Links to other content I enjoyed this week
Let’s dive in 🤙
What are the Big 5 personality traits?
The Big Five model is the most widely accepted personality theory held by psychologists today.
In 1936, two researchers originally formed a list of 4,500 terms relating to personality traits. Over the years, this list was ultimately reduced to 5 traits.
These traits all represent a range. For example, extraversion is a continuum between extreme extraversion and extreme introversion.
The Big Five traits are:
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
These five traits are commonly known by the acronyms CANOE or OCEAN.
💡 Why this is important: Understanding where you fall on these spectrums can improve your personal or work relationships. You can better understand communication styles and why people behave certain ways.
It can also be a good exercise to examine your own self and where opportunities for improvement may be.
Examples of the Big 5 ranges
This graphic does a good job showing the ‘Low Score’ versus ‘High Score’ for each of the Big 5 traits:
Openness
Openness refers to an individual’s natural curiosity about the world and their willingness to step outside their comfort zone.
People high in openness are eager to try new things. They also tend to be more creative.
People low in this trait are more practical and routined. They are rigid in their thinking and more resistant to new ideas.
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is measured by thoughtfulness and impulse control.
High scorers are organized and detail oriented. They have a high level of discipline and typically follow through with what they set out to do.
Low scorers of conscientiousness are more scattered. They tend to procrastinate on things they need to get done.
Extraversion
Extraversion refers to people who are social, get their energy from interacting with others, and are more willing to speak their mind.
Extraverted people enjoy being at the center of attention and making new friends. They don’t have any lack of confidence in social settings.
Introverts tend to be more reserved and prefer low stimulated environments. They can feel exhausted after long social interactions.
Agreeableness
Agreeableness refers to individuals who are more cooperative and trusting.
People high in agreeableness have a high level of empathy and enjoy helping others. They tend to go along with what others say.
People low in agreeableness have little interest in other people’s problems. They may even manipulate others to get what they want.
Neuroticism
Neuroticism can be characterized as emotional instability.
People high in neuroticism are frequently worried. They experience a wide range of emotions throughout their day.
Those low in neuroticism are emotionally stable. Their moods are typically even and they don’t experience wild mood swings.
My thoughts 💭
I enjoy learning about personality traits like these. I don’t often think critically about myself and where I fall on these spectrums.
It can be a good reflecting exercise before journaling or any other creative outlets.
Alright…time to embrace my ‘openness’ and score myself in public:
Openness = Medium
Reason: I am open to trying new things, but am also very routined. I do struggle with abstract thinking but I enjoy taking on new challenges (like this newsletter!)
Conscientiousness = High
Reason: I do a fairly good job of setting out tasks and completing them. I don’t procrastinate as much as others and try to get ahead of things when I can.
Extraversion = Low
Reason: I mean…I write a newsletter for introverts 😀. I definitely do not prefer to be the center of attention. Social interactions can wear me out, and I need alone time to recharge.
Agreeableness = High
Reason: I tend to trust people more times than not. This isn’t always a good thing as I have been bitten by this in the past. I have also struggled to form my own opinions and find myself agreeing with others frequently. But in general, I am empathetic towards others and don’t try to rock the boat too much.
Neuroticism = Low
Reason: I rarely ever experience mood swings. I am not overly emotional and stay even-keeled. I think this is the reason I do well in my current job where I am dealing directly with customers and their issues.
Try this out and rate yourself. I’m curious to hear what you think about these Big 5 personality traits and where you fall on the spectrum. Respond back to this email with any thoughts you may have!
Links that I enjoyed this week 💥
That’s it for today - hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter!
If you enjoyed this post, you can subscribe at the link below 👇️
Best,
BG