The Big Five Personality Factors
A strong consensus has emerged since the mid-1980's about the number and
nature of personality traits. Five superordinate factors have emerged,
often referred to to as the "Big Five" or the 5-factor model. These
presence of these five factors
is well supported by a wide variety of research.
Early evidence supporting a 5-factor model was published by
Fiske, in 1949. During the 1980s and 1990s a vast array of research
combined to support the five factor model. Not everyone however agrees in the
naming of the five supertraits.
The 5-factor model is commonly measured by the NEO by McCrae
and Costa (2003).
The Big 5 according to the NEO are Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness
to Experience, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness (Remember OCEAN, or
NEOAC):
-
Neuroticism (Emotional Stability)
-
Extraversion (Introversion)
-
Openness to experience (Closedness to experiences)
-
Agreeableness (Disagreeableness)
- Conscientiousness (Lack of conscientiousness)
Each Supertrait is measured by 6 facets (or subordinate traits). These
are:
|
N |
E |
O |
A |
C |
| Anxiety |
Warmth |
Fantasy |
Trust |
Competence |
| Angry hostility |
Gregariousness |
Aesthetics |
Straightforward-ness |
Order |
| Depression |
Assertiveness |
Feelings |
Altruism |
Dutifulness |
| Self-consciousness |
Activity |
Actions |
Compliance |
Achievement striving |
| Impulsiveness |
Excitement-seeking |
Ideas |
Modesty |
Self Discipline |
| Vulnerability |
Positive emotion |
Values |
Tender-mindedness |
Deliberation |
The "big 5" model is not without its criticisms, e.g., see
Criticisms (Wikipedia).
References
McCrae, R. R., Costa,
P. T. (2003). Personality in adulthood, a five-factor theory
perspective (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
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