What kind of a person, am I ?

Personality

  • Consistent pattern of behavior
  • Stable responses across situations and time
  • General patterns common for all
  • Specific patterns different for individuals

Factors that influence personality

  • Learnings and experiences
  • Direct genetic effect
  • Indirect genetic effect

Learnings and experiences

  • Learn new things while growing up
  • Experiences affect thoughts and actions

Direct genetic effect

  • Genetic structure of a person
  • About 99% of genes common to all humans
  • About 0.2%-0.5% of genes with heritability

Indirect Genetic Effect

  • Create own environment under the direct genetic effect
  • Cumulative effect of such built up in life

Grand theorist approach to personality

  • Theories proposed by individuals
  • Experience of the originator is the basis
  • Fragmented approach

Trait approach to personality

  • Most widely accepted
  • Language terms to explain personality characteristics
  • Empirical data, factor analysis, trait scales, statistical analysis, multiple models, multiple instruments

Personality Trait

  • Short-lived personality characteristics are habits
  • Relatively stable habits are personality traits
  • Usually stable over many years
  • Affected by situation and environment

Emotion

  • Sub-system of personality
  • Reactions to views or imaginations
  • Transitory conditions
  • Appraisal of a real or a likely event
  • Cause and nature as per appraisal

Five-Factor Model

  • Most popular trait-based model
  • Language based premise
  • Terms related to universal human tasks

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Five-Factor Model

  • Significant progress in the English language
  • Well replicated in western languages and cultures
  • Refinement needed in other languages and cultures

The Big Five Model

  • Traits analyzed on five broad spectrums of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness

Extraversion

  • High Traits: Talkative, Assertive, Active, Energetic, Outgoing, Outspoken, Dominant, Forceful, Enthusiastic, Show-off, Sociable, Spunky, Adventurous, Noisy, Bossy

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Extraversion

  • Low Traits: Quiet, Reserved, Shy, Silent, Withdrawn, Retiring

Agreeableness

  • High Traits: Sympathetic, Kind, Appreciative, Affectionate, Soft-hearted, Warm, Generous, Trusting, Helpful, Forgiving, Pleasant, Good-natured, Friendly, Cooperative, Gentle, Unselfish, Praising, Sensitive

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Agreeableness

  • Low Traits: Fault-finding, Cold, Unfriendly, Quarrelsome, Hard-hearted, Unkind, Cruel, Stern, Thankless, Stingy

Conscientiousness

  • High Traits: Organized, Thorough, Planful, Efficient, Responsible, Reliable, Dependable, Conscientious, Precise, Practical, Deliberate, Painstaking, Cautious

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Conscientiousness

  • Low Traits: Careless, Disorderly, Frivolous, Irresponsible, Slip-shot, Undependable, Forgetful

Neuroticism

  • High Traits: Tense, Anxious, Nervous, Moody, Worrying, Touchy, Fearful, High-strung, Self-pitying, Temperamental, Unstable, Self-punishing, Despondent, Emotional
  • Low Traits: Stable, Calm, Contented

Openness

  • High Traits: Wide-interest, Imaginative, Intelligent, Original, Insightful, Curious, Sophisticated, Artistic, Clever, Inventive, Sharp-witted, Ingenious, Witty, Resourceful, Wise

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Openness

  • Low Traits: Commonplace, Narrow-interests, Simple, Shallow, Unintelligent

Maturation impacts traits

  • Likely decrease in extraversion, neuroticism, and openness
  • Likely increase in agreeableness and conscientiousness

Most recognized instruments

  • NEO-PI-R with 240 items or NEO-FFI with 60 items
  • TDA with 100 items
  • BFI with 44 items and BFI-2 with 60 items

The Big Five Personality Test

  • Link for BFI-2 Test