Theories of Personality 523Modern Trait Theories: The Big Five
13.10 Identify the five trait dimensions of the five-factor model of personality.
Sixteen factors are still quite a lot to discuss when talking about someone’s personality.
Later researchers attempted to reduce the number of trait dimensions to a more man-
ageable number, with several groups of researchers arriving at more or less the same
five trait dimensions (Botwin & Buss, 1989; Jang et al., 1998; McCrae & Costa, 1996).
These five dimensions have become known as the five-factor model, or the Big Five (see
Ta b l e 13. 2 ), and represent the core description of human personality—that is, the only
dimensions necessary to understand what makes us tick.
As shown in the table, these five trait dimensions can be remembered by using the
acronym OCEAN, in which each of the letters is the first letter of one of the five dimen-
sions of personality.
- Openness can best be described as a person’s willingness to try new things and be
open to new experiences. People who try to maintain the status quo and who don’t
like to change things would score low on openness. - Conscientiousness refers to a person’s organization and motivation, with people
who score high in this dimension being those who are careful about being places on
time and careful with belongings as well. Someone scoring low on this dimension,
for example, might always be late to important social events or borrow belongings
and fail to return them or return them in poor condition. - Extraversion is a term first used by Carl Jung (1933), who believed that all people
could be divided into two personality types: extraverts and introverts. Extraverts
are outgoing and sociable, whereas introverts are more solitary and dislike being
the center of attention. - Agreeableness refers to the basic emotional style of a person, who may be easy-
going, friendly, and pleasant (at the high end of the scale) or grumpy, crabby, and
hard to get along with (at the low end). - Neuroticism refers to emotional instability or stability. People who are excessive
worriers, overanxious, and moody would score high on this dimension, whereas
those who are more even-tempered and calm would score low.
Figure 13.4 Cattell’s Self-Report Inventory
The personality profiles of individuals working in various occupations may be characterized by using such tools as Cattell’s 16PF self-report inventory. For exam-
ple, airline pilots versus writers. Airline pilots, when compared to writers, tend to be more conscientious, relaxed, self-assured, and far less sensitive. Writers, on
the other hand, were more imaginative and better able to think abstractly.
Based on Cattell (1973).
five-factor model (Big Five)
model of personality traits that
describes five basic trait dimensions.introverts
people who prefer solitude and dislike
being the center of attention.extraverts
people who are outgoing and sociable.