Personal traits are attributes or characteristics that distinguish a person from other people in a continuous and consistent manner. These traits make up a person’s personality. Many research studies have been conducted on the subject of personality, all of which have led to the acquirement of properly-substantiated but also tentative insight into the subject. Some of this insight includes theories such as the Big Five Personality/Trait Theory (Gosling et al. 2003). The theory states that the following five traits are the building elements that construct a person’s overall personality. The traits include; openness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and conscientiousness. Open people are imaginative; they like to learn new things, and they enjoy new and different experiences.
Conscientious people are prompt and organized and can be relied on to handle sensitive matters prudently. Extroverts are social and interactive. They are energetic, chatty and sometimes aggressively self-assured. Neurotics are emotionally sensitive people who will easily get offended, moody and tense(Gosling et al. 2003). People who exhibit agreeableness are affable, benevolent, considerate of other people, and tender-hearted. To write this paper from an informed position, I have undertaken a big five personality test whose results I will use to delineate my personality traits and propose ways in which people with my kind of personality can interact with other personalities successfully.
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My Personality Traits Based on Assessment Results
According to the big five personalities test, my score for openness stands at a high of 95percent. I concur with these results as I am an associative thinker who can join dots between things and situations that initially appear unrelated. I am a creative and imaginative person with a high passionate for art. I am majorly interested in politics and my interest in learning about my culture and partaking in cultural practices whenever I can, is unmatched among my fellow female peers. I scored 93percent for conscientiousness in the test (The Big Five Personality Test, 2017, May 18). This implies that I am a disciplined woman who recognizes what needs to be done to succeed in the pursuit of my goals and aspirations. Whenever I engage in an activity, I am usually in it for the long haul; ready to look unwise in the short-term, and wise in the long-term. I am determined to succeed in my education, career, and social life. I also believe that I am tact when dealing with other people and that other people can depend on me to offer assistance whenever I can.
My score for extraversion stands at 78percent, and this was precisely within the range of my expectations(The Big Five Personality Test, 2017, May 18). My fellow female peers sometimes assert that my appetite for risk and willingness to experiment with new things can be matched to that of men. I love thrilling experiences, and I will often talk endlessly when discussing a topic that I am passionate about. I am an energetic lady who believes in having as many friends as possible. I am particularly concerned about my standing in the society, and professional success and a good life facilitated by a significant amount of wealth are things I immensely admire and work to achieve.
My score for agreeableness stands at 78percent, but I expected it to be slightly higher. I, like most other women, am very empathetic towards people facing unfortunate challenges or living under deplorable conditions(The Big Five Personality Test, 2017, May 18). Not once have I put other people’s needs ahead of my own and showing kindness is something I do instinctively. I believe that my kind and compassionate nature has been shaped by the environment I have grown up in, where people think first and foremost about others and their well-being. I accommodate people from all walks and backgrounds, and I believe in high quality and long lasting friendships. My score in neuroticism is exactly within the expected range; at 28percent(The Big Five Personality Test, 2017, May 18). I rarely experience negative emotions, and whenever they attempt to take over, I do what needs to be done very fast to suppress them and focus on the positive side of things. I approach every situation with optimism and self-confidence. As a woman, being strong and confident is not an option, it is mandatory. I am very concerned about my mental and physical health, and as such, I do not burden myself with stress and laying too much emphasis on negative issues. I look at the bright side of life.
Solutions for Working with Different Personality Types – Informed by the Big Five Assessment and the Underlying Principles of Trait Theories
The first and most important thing is always to recognize and respect other people’s personalities that are different from yours. Do not attempt to change or influence them at first, accommodate them so that you can understand the factors behind these personality traits. Do not try to appear better than other people. Self-indulgence is destructive in some situations as it will make other people feel inferior, pushing them away. Seek to understand how other people work and operate; this way you can quickly identify the ways in which you can successfully be part of the team. Whenever conflicts arise between you and a person with a different personality, do not become too involved emotionally. Keep calm and stay as pragmatic and as objective as you possibly can; this is the easiest avenue through which you and the other person can find common ground on the matter at hand.
Trait theories from theorists such as Gordon Allport, Raymond Cattell, and Hans Eysenck all come down to one common assertion; every person possesses certain personality traits that have a significant influence on his or her behavior. Let everyone around you have an easy time. Do not be grumpy, and do not engage in shenanigans and cheap egomaniacs. Bear in mind that these other people view you as different too, and are also trying to accommodate and handle you in a possible respectful manner. People will respond and react differently to the way you approach them depending on their personalities. Always keep an open mind and expect anything.
Comparison between the Test Results and the Sixteen Personality Factors
The sixteen personality factor model was developed by Raymond Cattell in his efforts to draw an understanding of personality as it pertains to psychology (Cattell et al. 1970). The model comprises of personality appropriate adjectives which he termed as factors, and they include; warmth, reasoning, emotional stability, dominance, liveliness, rule-consciousness, social boldness, sensitivity, vigilance, abstractedness, privateness, apprehension, openness to change, self-reliance, perfectionism, and tension. My high scores in openness, conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness (95%, 93%, 78% and 78% respectively) are a solid indication that I possess some if not all of the positive trait factors illustrated in the sixteen personality factor model. For instance, the model describes an open person as being experimental, liberal and analytical in all situations. The open person is flexible in their thinking. The big five assessment results describe the open person in an exactly similar manner to this model. The model and the big five assessment are similar in their description of people with neurotic traits. They both define peoples with this personality as being vigilant, anxious, suspicious, skeptical and oppositional.
Are the Assessment Results Related to Genetics?
Studies have shown that behavioral genes have a huge impact on a person’s personality. Multiple genes are involved in determining a personality. Most of the behavioral genes affect traits that are associated with emotions (McRae et al. 2001). A person who is easily irritable and temperamental may have a genetic component that forms the basis for these aspects. In my case, however, the environment I have grown up in and the fact that I am a woman, are the two factors that have played the most critical role in shaping my personality. I have internalized behavior and norms from the people and the situations that have surrounded me as I have grown up.
Conclusion
Personality traits are a highly subjective and interesting topic. Learning about the different traits that exist gives me a better understanding of myself and that of the people around me. I am more appreciative of the new-found self-realization that instills in me more confidence and helps me look at life from a more positive perspective. I am now more knowledgeable on how to deal with different types of personalities than I was before.
References
Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann, W. B. (2003). A very brief measure of the Big-Five personality domains. Journal of Research in personality, 37(6), 504-528.
Cattell, R. B., Eber, H. W., & Tatsuoka, M. M. (1970). Handbook for the sixteen personality factor questionnaire (16 PF): In clinical, educational, industrial, and research psychology, for use with all forms of the test . Institute for Personality and Ability Testing.
McRae, R. R., Jang, K. L., Livesley, W. J., Riemann, R., & Angleitner, A. (2001). Sources of structure: Genetic, environmental, and artefactual influences on the covariation of personality traits. Journal of personality, 69(4), 511-535.
The Big Five Personality Test. (2017, May 18). Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.truity.com/personality-test/1628/test-results/4264365
