topics
ROBBMC03_0132431521.QXD
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Chapter 3 Personality and Values
The Big Five Model In contrast to the MBTI, the five-factor model of personality— more typically called the Big Five—has received strong supporting evidence. An impressive body of research, accumulated in recent years, supports that five basic dimensions underlie all others and encompass most of the significant variation in human personality.3 The following are the Big Five factors:
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Extroversion—This dimension captures one’s comfort level with relationships.
Extroverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid, and quiet.
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Agreeableness—This dimension refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. People who score low on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic.
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Conscientiousness—This dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable.
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Emotional stability (often labeled by its converse, neuroticism)—This dimension taps a person’s ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure.
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Openness to experience—This dimension addresses one’s range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar.
In addition to providing a unifying personality framework, research on the Big
Five also has found relationships between these personality dimensions and job performance.4 Researchers examined a broad spectrum of occupations: professionals
2/8/07
3:57 PM
Page 35
Chapter 3 Personality and Values
The Big Five Model In contrast to the MBTI, the five-factor model of personality— more typically called the Big Five—has received strong supporting evidence. An impressive body of research, accumulated in recent years, supports that five basic dimensions underlie all others and encompass most of the significant variation in human personality.3 The following are the Big Five factors:
■
Extroversion—This dimension captures one’s comfort level with relationships.
Extroverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid, and quiet.
■
Agreeableness—This dimension refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. People who score low on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic.
■
Conscientiousness—This dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable.
■
Emotional stability (often labeled by its converse, neuroticism)—This dimension taps a person’s ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure.
■
Openness to experience—This dimension addresses one’s range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar.
In addition to providing a unifying personality framework, research on the Big
Five also has found relationships between these personality dimensions and job performance.4 Researchers examined a broad spectrum of occupations: professionals