Big five personality traits

Big Five Personality Traits

The Big Five Personality Traits, also known as the Five Factor Model (FFM), is a model based on common language descriptors of personality. These descriptors are grouped together using a statistical technique called factor analysis. This model was defined by several independent sets of researchers who used factor analysis of verbal descriptors of human behavior. These researchers began by studying known personality traits and then factor-analyzing hundreds of measures of these traits (in self-report and questionnaire data, peer ratings, and objective measures from experimental settings) in order to find the underlying factors of personality.

Pronunciation

Big Five Personality Traits: /bɪɡ faɪv pɜːrsəˈnælɪti treɪts/

Etymology

The term "Big Five" was coined by Lewis Goldberg, a prominent American personality psychologist, and refers to the five broad domains that define human personality.

The Five Traits

The Big Five Personality Traits are:

Openness to Experience - (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious). Appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience.
Conscientiousness - (efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless). A tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behavior.
Extraversion - (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved). Energy, positive emotions, surgency, assertiveness, sociability and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others, and talkativeness.
Agreeableness - (friendly/compassionate vs. challenging/detached). A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
Neuroticism - (sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident). A tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability.

Related Terms

This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.

Big five personality traits

Contents