Notes on the Big Five Personality Traits and Self-Esteem

Mnemonic for the Big Five Personality Traits

• Use the mnemonic "OCEAN" or "CANOE" to remember the Big Five personality factors:
  • O: Openness to experience
  • C: Conscientiousness
  • E: Extroversion
  • A: Agreeableness
  • N: Neuroticism

Openness to Experience

• Definition: Reflects willingness to engage with new ideas, perspectives, and experiences.
• High in Openness:
  • More adventurous, creative, less prejudiced.
  • Associated with scientific and intellectual curiosity.
  • Example: Albert Einstein exemplifies high openness through creative scientific ideas.
• Low in Openness:
  • More conventional, resistant to new technologies or ideas.
  • Prefer routine over novelty; maintain status quo.

Conscientiousness

• Definition: Reflects organization, responsibility, and attention to detail.
• High in Conscientiousness:
  • Punctual, hardworking, reliable.
  • Better at impulse control and goal-directed behavior.
• Low in Conscientiousness:
  • Unreliable, disorganized, impulsive.
  • Careers often require high conscientiousness for success.

Extroversion

• Definition: Reflects sociability and enthusiasm; often characterized by engagement in social interactions.
• High in Extroversion:
  • Energized by social interactions; emotionally expressive.
  • Frequently smile and make eye contact.
• Low in Extroversion (Introversion):
  • Drained by social situations; prefer solitude to recharge.

Agreeableness

• Definition: Tendency to be compassionate and cooperative.
• High in Agreeableness:
  • Good-natured, forgiving, cooperative, warm.
  • Less likely to get angry or behave aggressively.
• Low in Agreeableness:
  • More confrontational, distrustful, and less generous.

Neuroticism

• Definition: Reflects emotional reactivity and tendency towards negative emotions.
• High in Neuroticism:
  • Experiencing emotions like sadness, anxiety, irritability more intensely.
  • Emotionally unstable; difficulties in relationships.
• Low in Neuroticism:
  • Emotionally stable; more calm and secure.

Test Your Own Personality Traits

• Optional exercise to determine where you might fall on each of the Big Five traits.
• Scoring:
  • Use reverse scoring for specific questions and tally scores for each trait.
  • Scores indicate levels, with ranges suggesting low, high, or moderate levels of each trait.

Genetic vs Environment Influence on Personality

• Twin Studies:
  • Identical twins show more similarity in personality traits than fraternal twins, indicating a strong genetic influence.
  • Studies show identical twins raised apart are still quite similar, suggesting genetics play a major role.
• Adoption Studies:
  • Shows adopted children have more similar personalities to biological parents than adoptive parents, reinforcing genetic influence.

Stability of Personality Traits

• Generally stable after age 30, with the most significant changes occurring in early adulthood.
• As people age, there may be a trend towards becoming less open, less extroverted, and less neurotic, while becoming more agreeable and conscientious.

Self-Esteem

• Definition: General assessment of oneself; reflects self-worth.
• Stability:
  • Relatively stable over time; tends to rise in late adolescence and early adulthood, drops in old age.
• Correlates with Personality:
  • Higher self-esteem associated with lower levels of narcissism, higher extroversion, and conscientiousness.

Gender Differences in Self-Esteem

• Men typically report higher self-esteem than women; particularly pronounced during adolescence.
• The difference is largely attributed to men having an inflated sense of self-esteem.

Impact of Self-Esteem on Feedback

• High Self-Esteem:
  • Trusts and appreciates positive feedback; discredits negative feedback.
• Low Self-Esteem:
  • Internalizes negative feedback; struggles to accept positive feedback due to cognitive dissonance.

Self-Esteem and Outcomes

• Higher self-esteem linked to better relationships, work performance, and lower rates of psychological disorders.
• However, individuals with low self-esteem may have a more accurate assessment of their abilities compared to their peers.