How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Big five factors

Explanations > Preferences > Big five factors

The 'Big Five' were derived as a simplified set of personality indicators. They are similar to the 16PF and were identified later.

The Big Five

When working with other people five characteristics/traits/preferences are a lot easier to remember than sixteen. This also leads to the obvious criticism that we are much more than 'five traits'.

Using the first letters of the first three factors, the term NEO often appears in descriptions. The initial letters are also sometimes arranged to spell OCEAN (or CANOE).

Big Five Factor (16PF equivalent)	Describes
Neuroticism (Anxiety)	Anxiety Angry Hostility Depression Self-Consciousness Impulsiveness Vulnerability
Extraversion (Extraversion)	Warmth Gregariousness Assertiveness Activity Excitement-Seeking Positive Emotions
Openness (Tough-minded)	Fantasy Aesthetics Feelings Actions Ideas Values
Agreeableness (Independence)	Trust Straightforwardness Altruism Compliance Modesty Tender-mindedness
Conscientiousness (Self-control)	Competence Order Dutifulness Achievement Striving Self-Discipline Deliberation

Discussion

Four of the big five are widely agreed, but there has been debate about Openness, with alternatives including Culture, Intellect, Imagination, and Openness to experience.

Compared to later-borns, first borns tend to be:

Higher on Conscientiousness & Neuroticism.
Lower on Agreeableness & Openness to experience.
Higher on assertive and dominance aspects of Extraversion, lower on sociability aspects.

Also compared to men, women tend to be:

Much higher on Agreeableness.
Slightly higher on Conscientiousness.
Lower on assertiveness and dominance aspects of Extraversion, higher on sociability.

So what?

So memorize these and use them to assess people as you meet them and hence generalize to other situations.

You can also use one of the assessments tests available for more formal exploration.

Big five factors

The Big Five

Neuroticism

Extraversion

Openness

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

Discussion

So what?

See also