DIMENSIONS OF PERSONALITY
The Big Five personality traits, also known as the
five-factor model (FFM), is a model based on
common language descriptors of personality
(lexical hypothesis).
These descriptors are grouped together using a
statistical technique called factor analysis (i.e.,
this model is not based on scientific
experiments).
Factors influencing personality
1. Physical
2. Social
3. Psychological
4. Philosophical
5. Sincerity, trust & integrity
6. Awareness, alertness & grasping capacity
7. Completing duties & fulfilling responsibilities in time
& absolute accountability.
8. Being in tune with changing times; especially with
changing technologies.
9. Sensible thinking inspite of emotionally charged, or
embarrassing circumstances.
Traits of a good personality
• Be a good listener
• Read more & expand your interests
• Be a good conversationalist
• Have an opinion
• Meet new people, make an effort to meet new people
especially those unlike you.
• Be yourself
• Have a positive attitude
• Be fun. Have a humour sense
• Be supportive to others
• Have integrity &treat people with respect
Strong negative aspects to spoil personality
• Unhygienic
• Hurting attitude
• Useless approach
• Non beneficial communication
• Below average performance
• Powerless egoism
• Financial indiscipline
• Uncontrolled burst of negative emotions
• Mismanagements
Main factors for developing a strong personality
in social environment
• Pleasing personality
• Beneficial communication
• Adapting and adhering to social values in
interactions.
• Developing confidence of:
– Sincerity, integrity & trust
– Completing duties, fulfilling responsibilities in
time.
– Economic independent, but not miser
Main factors for developing a strong personality
in social environment
• Additional spices for the best impression:
– Awareness & alertness
– Useful application of: knowledge in depth, positive
intelligence & defensive smartness.
– Self confidence, initiative, dynamism, leadership
qualities, will-power and self-discipline.
– Adaptive to moral values
The five factors have been defined as openness to
experience, conscientiousness, extraversion,
agreeableness, and neuroticism, often listed under the
acronyms “OCEAN”.
Dimension of Personality High Level Low level
Openness to experience Inventive, Curious Cautious, Conservative
Conscientiousness Efficient, Organized Easy going, Careless
Extraversion Outgoing, Energetic Solitary, Reserved
Agreeableness Friendly, Compassionate Competitive, Outspoken
Neuroticism Sensitive, Nervous Secure, Confident
Openness to experience: (inventive/curious vs.
consistent/cautious)
Openness to experience describes a person's degree of
intellectual curiosity, creativity, appreciation for art, emotion,
adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience.
It is also described as the extent to which a person is
imaginative or independent .
High openness can be perceived as unpredictability or lack of
focus. Moreover, individuals with high openness are said to
pursue self-actualization specifically by seeking out intense,
euphoric experiences, such as skydiving, living abroad,
gambling, etc.
Conversely, those with low openness seek to gain fulfillment
through perseverance and are characterized as pragmatic and
data- driven—sometimes even perceived to be dogmatic and
closed-minded.
Extraversion: (outgoing/energetic vs.
solitary/reserved)
Extraversion describes energy, positive emotions,
assertiveness, sociability, talkativeness, and the tendency to
seek stimulation in the company of others.
High extraversion is often perceived as attention- seeking, and
domineering.
Low extraversion causes a reserved, reflective personality,
which can be perceived as aloof or self-absorbed.
Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. easy-
going/careless)
Conscientiousness is a tendency to show self-
discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement.
Conscientiousness also refers to planning,
organization, and dependability.
High conscientiousness is often perceived as
stubbornness and obsession.
Low conscientiousness is associated with flexibility
and spontaneity but can also appear as sloppiness
and lack of reliability.
Agreeableness: (friendly/compassionate vs.
analytical/detached)
Agreeableness is a tendency to be compassionate and
cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards
others.
It is also a measure of one's trusting and helpful nature, and
whether a person is generally well-tempered or not.
High agreeableness is often seen as naive or submissive.
Low agreeableness personalities are often competitive or
challenging people, which can be seen as argumentative or
untrustworthy.
Neuroticism: (sensitive/nervous vs.
Secure/confident)
Neuroticism is a tendency to experience unpleasant emotions
easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, and vulnerability.
Neuroticism also refers to the degree of emotional stability
and impulse control and is sometimes referred to by its low
pole, "emotional stability".
A high need for stability manifests as a stable and calm
personality but can be seen as uninspiring and unconcerned.
A low need for stability causes a reactive and excitable
personality, often very dynamic individuals, but they can be
perceived as unstable or insecure.
THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
Many psychologists have developed theories about
personality—how to describe it, how it emerges, what
influences it, how it changes, and what constitutes a healthy
or an abnormal personality. Here you will learn about the
three most important personality theories: psychoanalytic
theory, behaviorism and humanism.
The first of the modern personality theories was developed by
Sigmund Freud and is known as psychoanalytic theory. The
psychiatric practice of this theory is called psychoanalysis.
FREUD THEORY
• Freud theorized that personality contains three structures—
the id, ego, and superego—and that the mind is like an
iceberg, the unconscious making up 90% while the conscious
(like the tip of the iceberg floating above water) makes only
10% of the mind.
FREUD THEORY
According to psychoanalytic theory, most of what controls our
behaviors, thoughts, and feelings is unknown to our aware
minds. Normally, the unconscious guides us. Freud said that
the mind could be divided into three abstract categories.
These are the id, the ego, and the superego.
1. The ID:
2. The Ego
3. The Super ego
Freud theorized that healthy personality development
requires a balance between the id and the superego.
ERIKSON THEORY
Erikson converted Freud’s emphasis to a focus on social
relationships into eight psychosocial stages. These stages
became known as the Eight Ages of Man.
Each of Erikson’s eight stages was described as a time of
crisis—a time when the personality would go one way or the
other.
For example, you’ve likely heard of the identity crisis. Erikson
theorized that during adolescence, we all face a crisis of
figuring out who we are. Each of the stages has this either-or
quality.
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages: (Eight Ages of Man)
Trust versus Babies whose needs are met develop a feeling of trust for the environment. If infants have
1. Infant Mistrust frustration and deprivation, they learn a basic mistrust for the world that will stick
throughout life.
Autonomy When toddlers learn to act independently and to control and doubt their bodies (toilet
2. Toddler versus Shame training, walking, etc.), they learn self confidence and a feeling of autonomy. Failure leads to
feelings of inadequacy and
therefore a sense of basic shame and doubt.
Initiative The preschooler is ready to take action—in play, in imagination and in running his or her life.
3. Preschool
versus Guilt Success here leads to good self-esteem; problems lead to feelings of guilt.
Industry versus The school-aged child is ready for learning many new skills and, if successful, will develop a
4. Early school
Inferiority sense of industry—being good at things. Failures at this stage result in a deep sense of being
age
no good, of being
inferior to others—a feeling that might carry into adulthood.
Identity versus Role An adolescent is beginning to think abstractly and can conceptualize his or her self-identity
5. Adolescent of and personality. The adolescent begins to consider questions of identity such as: Who
Confusion
should I be? What should I value? And what interests should I have? The teen must
answer these to develop a good sense of self-identity. Exploration of various roles and
personalities is common in this stage.
Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages: (Eight Ages of Man)
A young adult faces the challenge of developing close emotional
Intimacy
[Link] adult relationships with other people. Here the term intimate does not mean
versus
sexuality, but social and emotional connections with others. The opposite
Isolation
result, for those who do not develop a sense of intimacy, is to
become isolated from social contact.
Middle-aged adults feel an urgency to leave a mark on the world, to generate
Generativity
[Link]-aged something of lasting value and worth. Finding a purpose in life is a central
versus
adult theme. To fail at generating something significant means a person becomes
Stagnation
stagnant and stops moving forward; this person may
become selfish and self-absorbed.
Integrity In old age, it is common to look back on life and reflect on what was
8. Old adult
versus accomplished. People who feel good about what they have done build a
Despair sense of integrity. For those whose evaluations are not so good, there is
despair, the feeling of regret and remorse for the life they led.