There have
been many schemes of classification for the human personality over the years
(Myers-Briggs, Facet5, the Colour Code Personality Profile, to name three), but
probably the best of all, and certainly one of the most popular in recent
times, is the taxonomy of personality traits based on the standard
psychological model of the Big Five personality tests. In the last 30 years, it
has become the most widely regarded of all the present analyses of personality.
The Big Five personality categories are Openness, Conscientiousness,
Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism - and the kind of person you are is
determined by how you score in each of those categories - and more broadly, how
the many variable permutations of those five produce the combination of traits
that make up your character.
To
elaborate further, I will go through each of these categories, I will tell you
how I score on each of them by way of illustration (I did the test a few years
ago when it was still free - you might have to pay now), what that means
intrinsically in each category, and what sort of character that makes me and
others in terms of combination of categories. I will finish by trying to
extrapolate from the data some general observations that I think will hold
humans in good stead in their career-based deliberations.
Openness
Openness
tends to mean openness to experience, and it describes a dimension of
personality that enjoys intellectual curiosity, appreciation of art,
sensitivity to beauty, and often broad, expressive interests. People with a low
score on openness tend to have narrow interests, and be quite conservative and
resistant to change. I score very highly on openness (generally around the 85th
percentile), which is unsurprising because I enjoy being very curious,
flexible, tolerant and receptive to ideas.
But
equally, people who are high in openness and highly intelligent will also often
be quite rigid in their views, and I will explain why. The reason I don't score
even higher in openness is because I score low on some aspects of standard
openness like gullibility, indifference, conformity and being too easily
adaptable.
This is a
good balance to strike: be high in openness, and yet be unwilling to adapt to
anything that is empirically dubious, psychologically stultifying or
intellectually lazy. Open people ought to have strong convictions in a whole
range of subjects about which they've drawn conclusions. Many people who score
high in openness tend to be quite assured about their views and beliefs because
they were open enough to explore them rigorously in the first place.
Conscientiousness
Conscientious
people tend to be smart, goal-oriented and purposeful, but they can also be
overly-assiduous, unreliable and unadventurous. I score quite highly on
conscientiousness (generally around the 70th percentile) which is quite a good
combinatorial quality to have with high openness. Conscientious people who are
goal-oriented and ambitious in their intellectual pursuits, and at the same
time high in openness, are likely to explore ideas very freely and gracefully
and arrive at firm conclusions based on well thought out methodologies. High
conscientiousness is one of the strongest predictors of career success, so if
you score highly on that, you might like to consider whether you could be
aiming for even greater career heights.
Extraversion
Extraversion
and introversion are quite well known traits, and it's fairly easy to observe
in people where they sit on this spectrum. Extraverts enjoy being with people,
are energetic, and often experience positive emotions. Introverts are the
opposite; they tend to be quieter, more insular and less socially active. I
score very highly on extraversion (generally around the 80th percentile), which
is interesting because I am rather like an introvert trapped in an extravert's
body. Like other extraverts, I thrive by associating with others and being
exploratory in nature when it comes to other people's personalities, but I am
also frequently exhilarated by solitary pursuits and can go without socialising
for sustained periods of time. Keep an eye out for the introverts in your team
who are also high in openness and conscientiousness – they may have great ideas
that are not being expressed within the team, and therefore not heard.
Agreeableness
Agreeableness
is a lot to do with cooperation and social harmony. Agreeable individuals tend
to value getting along with others, and are friendly, gregarious and generous.
I score quite highly on agreeableness (generally around the 65th percentile)
and that may be surprising to some, given my no-nonsense approach to
establishing truth and facts. But it isn't very surprising to me, because even
though I value competition of ideas and hardline rigour, I do value
relationships with people very highly, care about their well-being, and have a
high regard for mutual cooperation, despite being quite feline in nature (which
probably explains why I only score moderately high on agreeableness).
Neuroticism
Neuroticism
refers to the tendency to experience negative emotions. People who score highly
on this tend to have a greater susceptibility to anxiety, anger, or depression.
I score relatively low on neuroticism (generally around 30th percentile)
because I am quite low in intensity, fairly easy-going, and unlikely to respond
emotionally erratically to situations that require a calm, balanced response.
Being high in openness, it's good that I'm relatively low in neuroticism, as
they can be a problematical pair, because open people tend to be exploratory
and enjoy complexity and philosophical intractability - and if you're high in
neuroticism you may find this difficult and emotionally challenging.
Neuroticism does have advantages, particularly if you're high in
conscientiousness, like caring for your own well-being, and knowing yourself
well, meaning you're quite open about your emotions.
Bringing
this together
There are
numerous combinatorial links to these different personality scores, and there
isn't a typical optimum profile to which one ought to gravitate, because there
are contrasts in each trait that bring to bear different strengths and
weaknesses on the personality. For example, people who score high on
extraversion may have the positive quality of being intellectually adventurous,
but people who score low may be quite cautious in a way that makes them
unsusceptible to flights of fancy. A team that has one of each will often
perform better than a team that has two of one or two of the other. People who
score high on agreeableness may be gentle, but people who score low might have
a reliable strength of their convictions. People who score high on openness may
reap the many benefits of not having too much of a closed mind, but people who
score low on openness may not drift waywardly so often, and remain quite
grounded in some views.
Agreeable
people can be kind, thoughtful and compassionate, but are often vulnerable to
manipulation. Disagreeable people may be a strong, influential force in the
workplace, but they may not have much of ear for compromise when it comes to listening
to people’s needs. IQ is an excellent predictor of academic achievement and
career accomplishment, as is conscientiousness – and you’re more likely to
thrive if you score highly in extraversion and low in neuroticism.
It can be
hugely beneficial to complete your own Big Five personality test, because the
five basic dimensions of the personality have reliable predictability of
performance in the workplace, as well as in relationships and other forms of
interpersonal interaction. With a more thorough
understanding of the core essence of your personality, you get to understand
how you’re likely to react in adapting to a rapidly changing situation, whether
your ideas are likely to be heard in a meeting, how well equipped you are to
take the lead in complex situations, how you’re likely to handle those difficult
conversations, whether you’re a good motivator, whether you are more likely to
thrive working on your own initiative or as part of a team, whether you’re more
suited to working with people or with things – the list goes on. The Big Five
test can also provide clarity in identifying your talents, skills and
character, whereby it can help you ensure you’re performing the right role in
the right job, and it can help you in navigating a career path that will give
you better job satisfaction and a higher level of contentment.
The Big
Five could be a fun thing to try if you're part of a couple too, or even if
you're looking to find a beloved - it can help identify your key relationship strengths
and weaknesses, it can assist you in ways to complement and learn from each
other, or simply help you understand your personality profile better to help
find you a good match in the dating pool.
Whichever
way it engenders the most benefit for you - whether it be in your career, in
love, in your social milieu, or simply as a way to understand yourself better (as
per Socrates' great instruction to 'know thyself'), understanding your
personality at a deeper level is going to be hugely beneficial for you in a
number of ways.
