The Hexaco personality theory is a form of psychological theory that was advanced by Michael Ashston and Kibeom Lee. The theory seeks to elaborate on the issue of personality and the individual differences that are found in every human being. It is a form of personality model structure that is used to summarize the key human personality characteristic. The summarization is done based on six critical dimensions that include honesty or humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. The six key features were joined up to form what is now commonly referred to as the Hexaco personality theory. Through the theory, the theorist sought to explain various personalities that were portrayed by human beings and thus provide a better understanding of the issue. They were concerned with behaviors or attitudes of most of the human beings and wondered why this was so. There is a lot of people who would carry out specific actions that cannot be done by others. The decision to carry out the activity in a certain way is due to the personality that they had in them and which was share differently to others. The fact that one was able to behave in a certain manner made them get more interested in exploring the factor, and this gave birth to the personality theory as it is currently referred to as Haxaco personality theory. The theorist were able to narrow down on the Hexaco model to come up with six dimensions that would be necessary for explaining the concept of the personality theory.
Honesty-Humility
The honest or humility factor seeks to cover the aspect of individuals being truthful in life. The theory elaborates on the fact that they are several people who are both honest and humble in everything that they do ( Kandler, Richter & Zapko-Willmes, 2019). They, therefore, tend to avoid manipulating others for personal gain, feel little temptation to break the rules that have been set, somehow uninterested in lavish lifestyles, and feel no need for social status. The factor is different from those of those who would generally prefer to live a lavish life full of wealth and would also be concerned with the social status that they may be having. The factor has been critical in explaining why some of the human beings behave in specific ways and thus has provided tolerance among human beings
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The other important characteristic or factor of the personality theory is emotionality. Emotionality focuses on the level of emotions that people have and the actions that arise as a result of the emotions. There are those people that have of high emotions while some have little or no emotion at all. Therefore, the theory of personality has enabled people to understand the various emotional levels that can be there and the justification of actions that are a result of such levels. There are those who are fearful of physical danger experiences, feel the need for emotional support, and experience high anxiety (Pletzer, Bentvelzen, Oostrom & de Vries, 2019). The emotions they have are so high that they need to get comfortable for them to relax. This situation is different from those that have low levels of emotions in that they are not fearful of harm that may come their way an also feel very little worry even when faced with stressful situations. It is therefore essential to establish the kind of emotions that one may have and thus able to deal with him or her properly
Extraversion
There is also the factor of extraversion. This is a factor that deals with the process of obtaining gratification from outside oneself. The people who have this kind of personality or extraverts for that matter tend to feel a lot positive about themselves and are always interested in interacting with others. They are full of energy and are always looking to start conversations whenever they go. The kind of enthusiasm and energy that they have contributes to the numerous interactions that they may have. This is opposite to those that have a low score when it comes to the same issue as they usually feel shy whenever they become the center of attention and also feel less lively. Through the theory, the theorists explore extroversion in a way that still influences the understanding of the concept of personality up to this time.
Agreeableness
The concept of agreeableness also forms part and parcel of the personality theory. Agreeableness is a critical factor because it involves the nature of people in terms of agreeing with each other when faced with different situations in life. Some are not easy to agree with, while others quickly strike an agreement with other people in a relatively short time. The concept also ranks the behavior of people in terms of being high or low. There are those who are highly agreeable, and thus, they easily forgive whenever they are wronged ( Molho, Roberts, de Vries & Pollet, 2016). Another important thing to note is that they are always lenient in judging others and thus can easily control the tempers that they have. This has a significant effect on reducing conflicts and thus ensuring that people stay in harmony and peace. There are those that are difficult to agree with. They are highly critical of others at all times and strive to identify their shortcomings. The disposition nominally arises because the individuals have not achieved much of the essential things in life, and thus, they become critical of others. They are also easy to anger and will resolve to violence to have their way.
Openness to Experience
The other factor that defines the Hexaco personality theory is the openness to experience. The openness to experience is a fact that seeks to explain the level at which one is open to new ideas and innovations. Some individuals are open to trying out some new experiences, while others are not open at all. They are afraid of experiencing new things and thus will tend to stick to the normal ways that they have become used to. Those that are open find themselves fascinated with nature and its beauty and therefore would like to travel to different places to have a new experience. They are also mostly inquisitive of various things as they seek to gather adequate knowledge that they may use in future. The characteristics are a complete opposite of those people that are not open. They are less interested in nature and its beauty and also possess little curiosity in terms of gaining knowledge. The theorist elaborated that the ability to be open is one thing that differs and that in most cases, most of the people will find themselves having being completely different to others in regards to the issue of openness. This, therefore, explains why some of the people tend to have a lot of interest in what is going on and also practice adventure to experience new ways of life
Consciousness
The last factor is that of consciousness. The factor deals with the ability to be more alert and to be able to carry out most of the tasks perfectly. It is a concept that is very important as most of the people find themselves having to make critical decisions that affect their life and thus need to be consciously aware of their actions. The use of consciousness is exhibited by those who work in a disciplined way, which is set to ensure that they achieve their goals and objectives. They usually strive for interaction in all that they do while also engaging in consultation before making critical decisions. This is different from those that have a low consciousness in that they tend to be careless while undertaking their work and do not bother whether or not they will achieve their objectives. They are mostly not aware of their surrounding, and the decisions that they make are primarily made in a hurried manner.
Theories that Influenced the Personality Theory
The Hexaco personality theory was influenced by several theories that provided critical knowledge that was used to come up with the personality theory. One of the theories that greatly influenced the work of personality theory is the Piaget's stages of development theory. The theory offered insights in to the stages of development that human beings undergo and the various cognitive changes that take place as a result of growth. The theory shows the different actions that are committed by human beings as a result of being at a certain stage. The Hexaco personality theory was influenced by Piaget's stages of development theory in the sense that certain factors, such as consciousness, depend on the stage that an individual is. The ability to be organized in everything that one does may come with age and the stage of life that an individual may be in. Those who are mature will tend to be more organized and are aware of their surrounding as opposed to those who are still young. They are also more careful in the work that they do because they have ambitions in life. They know the kind of result that they would wish for. It clear that the works of Piaget in relation to stages of development had an enormous influence on the Hexaco theory of personality.
The other theory that was instrumental in influencing the Hexaco theory of personality is Kohlberg’s theory of moral development. Kohlberg’s theory sought to analyze the moral development that is witnessed in human beings and the reasons why this is so. Through the ethical development theory, we get to know of the different moral values that are present in human beings and how they devalue all through the life of human beings. The theory thus influenced certain factors such as the honesty one ( Shu, McAbee & Ayman, 2017). The virtue of morality is one that is line to the issue of moral values which is in turn explained by the Kohlberg’s theory. Through the theory, we can understand how the virtue of honesty is developed within people and the positive effects that it has on the life of human beings. Therefore, the understanding that we get from the theory of personality has been influenced by the works on moral development. The characteristics such as the minimal temptation to break the rules and the avoidance of manipulation of others are some of the critical issues that are learned about honesty from the moral development theory. Therefore the theory of personality has dramatically borrowed from the moral development theory.
Influence in Psychology, Society and Culture
Hexaco personality theory has had a lot of influence when it comes to the field of psychology and society as well. The knowledge that has been acquired from the theory has been instrumental in shaping the thinking of other theorists, and this has gone to enhance the level of research that is being done in the field of psychology. Most of the people have been able to undertake the concept and thus are carrying out research to better understand the theory. It has also been useful to psychology as student have been taught on the issue of personalities, and this has enhanced the understanding. The society has also benefited a lot as a result of the theory. The society members are able to better understand the issue of personality and the reasons for most of the people to act in certain ways. They have become more tolerant due to the fact that they are aware that it is the personality of the individuals, and thus, they have to create room for tolerance and acceptance. The action has, in turn, contributed to a reduction in conflicts as most of the people are able to tolerate and appreciate each other. The issue of culture has also been enhanced as the culture that is practiced depends on the personalities of people within that culture. They are able to practice various traditions and norms based on the traits that they have, and this has defined the way culture is practiced in the world.
Conclusion
The personality theory is founded on six critical dimensions that shape and definite the actions of human beings. The six dimensions have been used for a long time in trying to explain the different actions that is done by human beings. Therefore it is important to say that the six dimensions have played an integral part in the development of the theory and that they are a true reflection of the characteristics that are portrayed by people. The decision will ensure that there are no conflicts that arise and that people can stay in harmony. The stages of development theory and the moral development theory are two types of theories that have influenced the personality theory to a great extent. There is a need to incorporate other theories that may have certain aspects suitable for the issue of personality theory. Personality theory has also influenced psychology, society, and culture in different ways, and this shows the importance that personality theory carries with respect to the three aspects.
References
Anglim, J., Knowles, E. R., Dunlop, P. D., & Marty, A. (2017). HEXACO personality and Schwartz's personal values: A facet-level analysis. Journal of Research in Personality , 68 , 23-31.
Kandler, C., Richter, J., & Zapko-Willmes, A. (2019). The Nature and Nurture of HEXACO Personality Trait Differences. Zeitschrift für Psychologie .
Molho, C., Roberts, S. G., de Vries, R. E., & Pollet, T. V. (2016). The six dimensions of personality (HEXACO) and their associations with network layer size and emotional closeness to network members. Personality and individual differences , 99 , 144-148.
Pletzer, J. L., Bentvelzen, M., Oostrom, J. K., & de Vries, R. E. (2019). A meta-analysis of the relations between personality and workplace deviance: Big Five versus HEXACO. Journal of vocational behavior , 112 , 369-383.
Shu, F., McAbee, S. T., & Ayman, R. (2017). The HEXACO personality traits, cultural intelligence, and international student adjustment. Personality and Individual Differences , 106 , 21-25.
