Behavioural Science Big 5 Factors

Moumita Mukherjee

Big Five Personality Factors

What are traits?
Traits are consistent patterns of thoughts, feelings, or actions that distinguish people from one
another. Traits are basic tendencies that remain stable across the life span, but characteristic
behaviour can change considerably through adaptive processes. A trait is an internal
characteristic that corresponds to an extreme position on a behavioural dimension.
How were these personality factors determined?
The Big Five represents a taxonomy (classification system) of traits that some personality
psychologists suggest capture the essence of individual differences in personality. Strict trait
personality psychologists go so far as to say our behaviour is really determined by these internal
traits, giving the situation a small role in determining behaviour. In other words, these traits lead
to an individual acting a certain way in a given situation.
Allport, Norman and Cattell were influential in formulating this taxonomy which was later
refined. Allport compiled a list of 4500 traits. Cattell reduced this list to 35 traits. Others
continued to analyze these factors and found congruence with self- ratings, ratings by peers and
ratings by psychological staff, that eventually became the Big Five factors.
The Big Five factors are:
I extraversion vs introversion
II agreeableness vs antagonism
III conscientiousness vs undirectedness
IV neuroticism vs emotional stability
V openness to experience vs not open to experience
There was a need for an integrative framework for measuring these factors. The NEO Personality
Inventory was created by Costa and McCrae and originally measured only neuroticism,
extraversion and openness. The other factors were added later. There are other measures of the
Big Five, such as the BFI (Big Five Inventory) and the TDA (Traits Descriptive Adjectives). The NEO
has the highest validity of the Big Five measurement devices.

Behavioural Science Big 5 Factors

Moumita Mukherjee

What do the five traits mean?

Keep in mind that the traits fall on a continuum, and the following descriptions delineate
characteristics associated with each of the traits. Looking at these characteristics we can
formulate what each of the traits mean. An easy way to remember them is by using OCEAN
O - Openness means a person is imaginative, independent minded and has divergent thinking
C - Conscientiousness means a person is responsible, orderly and dependable
E - Extraversion means a person is, talkative, social and assertive
A - Agreeableness means a person is good natured, co-operative and trusting
N - Neuroticism means a person is anxious, prone to depression and worries a lot
Openness to experience (versus closed-mindedness) describes the breadth, depth, originality,
and complexity of an individuals mental and experiential life.
Conscientiousness describes socially prescribed impulse control that facilitates task and goaldirected behaviour, such as thinking before acting, delaying gratification, following norms and
rules, and planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks.
Extraversion implies an energetic approach to the social and material world and includes traits
such as sociability, activity, assertiveness, and positive emotionality.
Agreeableness contrasts a prosocial and communal orientation toward others with antagonism
and includes traits such as altruism, tender-mindedness, trust, and modesty.
Neuroticism contrasts emotional stability and even-temperedness with negative emotionality,
such as feeling anxious, nervous, sad, and tense.
What do the Big Five predict about our behaviour?
(Handbook of Personality Psychology by Hogan, Johnson, and Briggs, 1997)
First, having a trait means reacting consistently to the same situation overtime, for example,
being agreeable or cooperative means consistently going along with reasonable requests, but
does not mean always complying with others wishes.
Second, to respond consistently in the same situation people must have a capacity to respond to
situational cues, that is to have the trait to be responsive to situations. For example, if someone
purchases a house in the woods, they might want that house because of its secluded location.

Behavioural Science Big 5 Factors

Moumita Mukherjee

Third, behaving differently in a given situation does not mean there is inner inconsistency. For
example, someone who likes to attend parties might not often do so because of a stronger desire
to work.
How might these factors relate to motivation?
Lets look quickly at each trait. Only one end of the continuum, for example extraversion as
opposed to introversion, is presented here. Since these traits are on a continuum someone at the
opposite extreme would show very different types of motivation than those at the extreme,
talked about.
Extraversion has an interpersonal component and is strongly related to positive affect such as
being enthusiastic, energetic, interested and friendly. Fremont and Means (1970) found that
extraverts show less anxiety over negative feedback. It has long been noted that Extraversion is
associated with leadership. So extraverts are highly motivated to seek social situations and to be
dominant in those situations. Extraverts are motivated by change, variety in their lives, challenge,
and are easily bored. Extraverts have more recently been seen as adaptive, ambitious and
hardworking.
Agreeableness also has an interpersonal component. Agreeable individuals tend toward
conformity in groups, toward modesty, toward not being demanding, and toward being
sympathetic. These individuals might be motivated toward helping others and toward prosocial
behaviour in general. There may be a link between the motivational processes operating within
individuals in regards to this trait, such that agreeable individuals strive for intimacy and
solidarity in groups they belong to, which provides emotional rewards.
Conscientiousness is related to such things as achievement, perseverance, organization and
responsibility. Conscientious individuals are motivated toward achievement through social
conformity. They are, in general, internally driven.
Neuroticism tends to be viewed negatively and is associated with negative affect, being tense
and nervous. Keep in mind that neuroticism is only one trait that an individual has. A person
could be neurotic and conscientious which may have negative health effects but may motivate an
individual toward success in school and work situations.
Openness is associated with tolerance of ambiguity (which means when something is not clear), a
capacity to absorb information, being very focused and the ability to be aware of more feelings,
thoughts and impulses simultaneously. The result is deeper, more intense experiences. Open
individuals are motivated to seek out the unfamiliar, and to look for complexity.
The bottom line is that the Big Five are an integral part of the study of personality psychology,
and it is fascinating to learn about what makes people (including our own selves) tick.

Behavioural Science Big 5 Factors

Moumita Mukherjee

Based on Research Work by Costa & Mc Crae (1985, 1992), John & Srivastava (1999) found the
following facets (and their correlated trait adjectives) to be strongly associated with the big 5
dimensions. They are listed as follows:
Big 5 Dimension (Factor)

Facet
Ideas
Fantasy
Openness vs. Not Openness Aesthetics
(Closedness) to Experience
Actions
Feelings
Values
Competence
Order
Conscientiousness vs. Lack of Dutifulness
Direction (Undirectedness)
Achievement striving
Self-discipline
Deliberation
Gregariousness
Assertiveness
Activity
Extraversion vs. Introversion
Excitement-seeking
Positive emotions
Warmth
Trust
Straightforwardness
Altruism
Agreeableness vs. Antagonism
Compliance
Modesty
Tender-mindedness
Anxiety
Angry hostility
Depression
Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability
Self-consciousness
Impulsiveness
Vulnerability

Corresponding Trait Adjective

Curious
Imaginative
Artistic
Wide interests
Excitable
Unconventional
Efficient
Organized
Not careless
Thorough
Not lazy
Not impulsive
Sociable
Forceful
Energetic
Adventurous
Enthusiastic
Outgoing
Forgiving
Not demanding
Warm
Not stubborn
Not show-off
Sympathetic
Tense
Irritable
Not contented
Shy
Moody
Not self-confident