Bs 101 module 1 - big 5 factors - notes

Behavioural Science – Big 5 Factors 1

Moumita MukherjeeMoumita MukherjeeMoumita MukherjeeMoumita Mukherjee

Big Five Personality Factors

What are traits?

Traits are consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, or actions that distinguish people from one

another. Traits are basic tendencies that remain stable across the life span, but characteristic

behaviour can change considerably through adaptive processes. A trait is an internal

characteristic that corresponds to an extreme position on a behavioural dimension.

How were these personality factors determined?

The Big Five represents a taxonomy (classification system) of traits that some personality

psychologists suggest capture the essence of individual differences in personality. Strict trait

personality psychologists go so far as to say our behaviour is really determined by these internal

traits, giving the situation a small role in determining behaviour. In other words, these traits lead

to an individual acting a certain way in a given situation.

Allport, Norman and Cattell were influential in formulating this taxonomy which was later

refined. Allport compiled a list of 4500 traits. Cattell reduced this list to 35 traits. Others

continued to analyze these factors and found congruence with self- ratings, ratings by peers and

ratings by psychological staff, that eventually became the Big Five factors.

The Big Five factors are:

I – extraversion vs introversion

II – agreeableness vs antagonism

III – conscientiousness vs undirectedness

IV – neuroticism vs emotional stability

V – openness to experience vs not open to experience

There was a need for an integrative framework for measuring these factors. The NEO Personality

Inventory was created by Costa and McCrae and originally measured only neuroticism,

extraversion and openness. The other factors were added later. There are other measures of the

Big Five, such as the BFI (Big Five Inventory) and the TDA (Traits Descriptive Adjectives). The NEO

has the highest validity of the Big Five measurement devices.



What do the five traits mean?

Keep in mind that the traits fall on a continuum, and the following descriptions delineate

characteristics associated with each of the traits. Looking at these characteristics we can

formulate what each of the traits mean. An easy way to remember them is by using “OCEAN”

O - Openness – means a person is imaginative, independent minded and has divergent thinking

C - Conscientiousness – means a person is responsible, orderly and dependable

E - Extraversion – means a person is, talkative, social and assertive

A - Agreeableness – means a person is good natured, co-operative and trusting

N - Neuroticism – means a person is anxious, prone to depression and worries a lot

Openness to experience (versus closed-mindedness) describes the breadth, depth, originality,

and complexity of an individual’s mental and experiential life.

Conscientiousness describes socially prescribed impulse control that facilitates task and goal-

directed behaviour, such as thinking before acting, delaying gratification, following norms and

rules, and planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks.

Extraversion implies an energetic approach to the social and material world and includes traits

such as sociability, activity, assertiveness, and positive emotionality.

Agreeableness contrasts a prosocial and communal orientation toward others with antagonism

and includes traits such as altruism, tender-mindedness, trust, and modesty.

Neuroticism contrasts emotional stability and even-temperedness with negative emotionality,

such as feeling anxious, nervous, sad, and tense.

What do the Big Five predict about our behaviour?

(Handbook of Personality Psychology by Hogan, Johnson, and Briggs, 1997)

First, having a trait means reacting consistently to the same situation overtime, for example,

being agreeable or cooperative means consistently going along with reasonable requests, but

does not mean always complying with others’ wishes.

Second, to respond consistently in the same situation people must have a capacity to respond to

situational cues, that is to have the trait to be responsive to situations. For example, if someone

purchases a house in the woods, they might want that house because of its secluded location.



Third, behaving differently in a given situation does not mean there is inner inconsistency. For

example, someone who likes to attend parties might not often do so because of a stronger desire

to work.

How might these factors relate to motivation?

Let’s look quickly at each trait. Only one end of the continuum, for example extraversion as

opposed to introversion, is presented here. Since these traits are on a continuum someone at the

opposite extreme would show very different types of motivation than those at the extreme,

talked about.

Extraversion has an interpersonal component and is strongly related to positive affect such as

being enthusiastic, energetic, interested and friendly. Fremont and Means (1970) found that

extraverts show less anxiety over negative feedback. It has long been noted that Extraversion is

associated with leadership. So extraverts are highly motivated to seek social situations and to be

dominant in those situations. Extraverts are motivated by change, variety in their lives, challenge,

and are easily bored. Extraverts have more recently been seen as adaptive, ambitious and

hardworking.

Agreeableness also has an interpersonal component. Agreeable individuals tend toward

conformity in groups, toward modesty, toward not being demanding, and toward being

sympathetic. These individuals might be motivated toward helping others and toward prosocial

behaviour in general. There may be a link between the motivational processes operating within

individuals in regards to this trait, such that agreeable individuals strive for intimacy and

solidarity in groups they belong to, which provides emotional rewards.

Conscientiousness is related to such things as achievement, perseverance, organization and

responsibility. Conscientious individuals are motivated toward achievement through social

conformity. They are, in general, internally driven.

Neuroticism tends to be viewed negatively and is associated with negative affect, being tense

and nervous. Keep in mind that neuroticism is only one trait that an individual has. A person

could be neurotic and conscientious which may have negative health effects but may motivate an

individual toward success in school and work situations.

Openness is associated with tolerance of ambiguity (which means when something is not clear), a

capacity to absorb information, being very focused and the ability to be aware of more feelings,

thoughts and impulses simultaneously. The result is deeper, more intense experiences. Open

individuals are motivated to seek out the unfamiliar, and to look for complexity.

The bottom line is that the Big Five are an integral part of the study of personality psychology,

and it is fascinating to learn about what makes people (including our own selves) tick.



Based on Research Work by Costa & Mc Crae (1985, 1992), John & Srivastava (1999) found the

following facets (and their correlated trait adjectives) to be strongly associated with the big 5

dimensions. They are listed as follows:

Big 5 Dimension (Factor) Facet Corresponding Trait Adjective

Openness vs. Not Openness

(Closedness) to Experience

Ideas Curious

Fantasy Imaginative

Aesthetics Artistic

Actions Wide interests

Feelings Excitable

Values Unconventional

Conscientiousness vs. Lack of

Direction (Undirectedness)

Competence Efficient

Order Organized

Dutifulness Not careless

Achievement striving Thorough

Self-discipline Not lazy

Deliberation Not impulsive

Extraversion vs. Introversion

Gregariousness Sociable

Assertiveness Forceful

Activity Energetic

Excitement-seeking Adventurous

Positive emotions Enthusiastic

Warmth Outgoing

Agreeableness vs. Antagonism

Trust Forgiving

Straightforwardness Not demanding

Altruism Warm

Compliance Not stubborn

Modesty Not show-off

Tender-mindedness Sympathetic

Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability

Anxiety Tense

Angry hostility Irritable

Depression Not contented

Self-consciousness Shy

Impulsiveness Moody

Vulnerability Not self-confident

Education

Bs 101 module 1 - big 5 factors - notes