The Five-Factor Model of Personality: All You Need To Know

The Five-Factor Model of Personality: All You Need To Know

What is the Five-Factor Model of Personality?

The Five-factor model of personality, in the field of psychology, is a model of an individual’s personality that divides it into five main traits. In personality psychology, traits are defined as patterns of thought, feelings, and behaviours that remain relatively stable throughout the lifespan of an individual.

The five-factor model was developed in the 1980s and 1990s. It largely developed based on the ‘Lexical Hypothesis’. Lexical Hypothesis is a theory of personality psychology that states that the personality characteristics that are the most important to a group of people, become encoded in the language of that group. Based on this, it became the task of psychologists to arrive at the essential personality traits of humans from the hundreds and thousands of personality description adjectives available.

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The core traits that the five-factor model proposes are commonly referred to as the Big Five Personality Traits. All individuals are believed to possess some degree of these. Upon measuring, one may obtain a high score or a low score on each of the traits, depending on their personality. They are measured using the Big Five Inventory, which is an exhaustive questionnaire consisting of statements that try to assess how much a person possesses each of the traits. The person is asked to answer in terms of a scale ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. Some examples of questions asked in the inventory are – “You are systematic and like to keep things in order”, “You are compassionate and have a soft heart”, and “You are outgoing and sociable”.

What are the Five Traits included in this Model?

The following traits constitute the five-factor model:

1. Openness:

Also termed as openness to experience, this trait emphasises possessing imagination and insight. Someone open tends to have a wide range of interests, they are curious about the world and eager to explore what they can. More open people are usually adventurous and creative. They also have intellectual curiosity and are willing to think about abstract concepts. On the other hand, if a person scores low on this trait, they tend to dislike change and are likely to stick to routines. They are usually not imaginative and are more grounded in reality.

Read More: The Wallach-Kogan Creativity Test

2. Extraversion:

This trait refers to an individual’s social interaction patterns. People who score high on extraversion are outgoing and talkative, they feel energised and thrive in the company of a large number of people, they usually have an easy time making friends and have large social circles, easily initiate conversations, and feel comfortable arguing and debating. They tend to be assertive. Those who score low on this trait are termed introverts. They prefer solitude over the company of many people and feel exhausted after socializing. They try to avoid interactions with strangers and are not fond of small talk. They feel uncomfortable being the centre of attention. They tend to think through it before they speak.

Read More: Social Psychology: The Landscape of Human Interaction

3. Conscientiousness:

This trait is defined by high levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, responsibility, and goal-directed behaviours. People who score high are organised and mindful of minute details. They tend to have a good work ethic, plan, and adhere to deadlines. They are considerate of how their behaviour affects others. They prefer to have a set schedule. On the other hand, low scorers are impulsive and spontaneous. They may have trouble focusing on their goals, are usually messy and tend to procrastinate on tasks. They dislike structures and schedules.

4. Agreeableness:

Agreeableness refers to how an individual treats their relationships with others. Those who are more agreeable, value social harmony and are cooperative. They are kind and compassionate towards others. They may be highly altruistic, empathetic, generous, and trustworthy. On the other hand, those who score low on this trait are generally competitive and even manipulative. They don’t take much interest in others, aren’t careful about how their words and actions make others feel and might insult and belittle them.

Read More: Empathy in Action: Helping Children Navigate Big Emotions

5. Neuroticism:

This trait relates to an individual’s emotional stability. Those who are highly neurotic are characterised by mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and sadness. They stress about many things and get upset easily because of small inconveniences. They also struggle to bounce back after a period of high emotional distress. Conversely, those who score low on neuroticism are emotionally stable and resilient, are usually relaxed and deal well with stressful situations.

Read More: The Psychology of Resilience

How Valid is The Big-Five Model of Personality?

Three different strands of research have been conducted to prove that the five-factor model of personality holds high validity –

First, researchers arrived at the five personality traits included in this model after extensive factor analyses on numerous data sets of personality-related terms from multiple languages, including English, German, and Chinese. Second, research experiments involving twins and adopted children revealed a strong genetic component to the five personality traits, proving their stability as core parts of the personality. Third, the five-factor model has been applied across an individual’s lifespan, and results indicate that these traits remain relatively stable throughout a person’s life. Even children use the traits included in the five-factor model when they are asked to describe themselves freely.

Additionally, these traits are remarkably universal. One study showed that they apply to as many as 50 different cultures as an accurate description of a person’s core personality. Despite its popularity and validity, revisions are made to the test. A more recently introduced version of this model, known as HEXACO, includes a sixth dimension: honesty/humility.

Conclusion

Although the model is widely accepted and the test based on it is used by many professionals, a lot of personality researchers have pointed out certain flaws with it. Personality researchers have disagreed with the five-factor model by stating that it is too narrow to sufficiently describe someone’s personality. It has also been found to lose its validity outside of Western, industrialised countries. One must remember that even though these personality traits remain relatively stable throughout one’s lifespan, change is not impossible. It is possible to transform your personality over a lifetime.

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