the big five and beyond

1. discuss the "goodness" and "badness" of personality traits 2. discuss the four research methods used to connect traits and behavior

are there traits that are considered “better” or “more good” than others?

not really, it rather falls on a continuum

what are the four trait approaches with behavior?

1. single-trait

2. many-trait

3. essential-trait

4. typological

what is the single-trait approach?

examining correlations between one trait and its many associated behaviors

what are the possible behaviors under the conscientiousness trait?

responsible, committed, ethical, dependable, even-tempered; not necessarily popular or creative

what are some predictors with a high conscientiousness score?

higher success in college, longer life expectancy, more likely to suffer if unemployed, positively correlated with years of schooling

what is self-monitoring?

inner reality compared to external personality

what are characteristics of low self-monitors?

self-directed, integrity, consistent, honest, independent, inflexible, stubborn; looks for clues inside about how to feel

what are characteristics of high self-monitors?

adaptable, popular, sensitive, hostile, depressed; looks for clues in the environment for how to feel

what is the many-trait approach?

examining correlations between one behavior and many traits

what is delay of gratification?

denying yourself immediate pleasure for some long-term gain

what are the sex differences for delay of gratification?

males tend to not be as good, but it also depends on emotional stability

what types of behavior are associated with delay of gratification?

high ego control and ego resiliency

what are some behaviors that can displayed earlier on that can predict high impulsivity/low delay of gratification?

restlessness, fidgety, emotionally unstable, depression

what is the essential-trait approach?

identifying the few traits that are truly crucial to understand about someone’s personality

what are the considered THE essential traits?

the big five

what are the advantages of extraversion?

higher status, more popular and physically attractive, experience more positive emotions

what are the disadvantages of extraversion?

unreliable, argumentation, bad at time management, drink more alcohol, higher risk of being overweight

what are some predicted life outcomes of extraversion?

happy, grateful, job satisfaction, successful relationships, community leaders

what are characteristics of neuroticism?

strong negative reactions to stress, sensitive to social threats, complain a lot, easily ruffled, worried, and moody

what are some predicted life outcomes of neuroticism?

• negatively correlated with happiness, well-being, and physical health

• problems in family relationships, dissatisfied with jobs, criminal behavior

• predict anxiety and depression: earlier onset, more chronic/recurring conditions

what are characteristics of agreeableness?

cooperative, many social interests

what life outcomes can be predicted with agreeableness?

• psychologically well-adjusted

• healthy heart

• recover from injury faster

• dating satisfaction

• smoke less

• unlikely to commit crimes

what are the disadvantages of high agreeableness?

dupe, gullible, more likely to be scammed or taken advantage of

what is the most controversial trait of the big five?

openness

what life outcome can be predicted with openness?

• drug use

• artistic interests

what are some advantages of openness?

creative, open-minded, and clever

what are some disadvantages of openness?

gullible or naïve

what is the typological approach to personality based on?

doubt about whether it is valid to compare people quantitatively on the same trait dimensions, sort traits into types and not on a spectrum

what are the advantages of the typological approach?

it makes it easier to think about how traits within a person interact with each other

what are the challenges of the typological approach?

• compares people based on different types

• come up with basic types that characterize the whole range of personality