I'm sure that many of you have studied the 'Big Five' personality traits in some of your other classes. These traits are said to be the main aspects of an individual's personality. They have now developed a test (The IPIP-NEO or International Personality Item Pool Representation of the NEO PI-R™) to measure each of the Big Five aspects. You can take either the long version or the short version at this website: http://www.personal.psu.edu/j5j/IPIP/
The Big Five Personality characteristics are:
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
It's pretty interesting to see your scores. I even had my sister take it so that we could compare our personalities (we were complete opposites on almost every aspect!). The test results have actually really helped me understand some of the things about my personality. I realize now why sometimes I feel overwhelmed or overly stressed out when no one else around me feels the same. In the text, Reeve discusses the aspects of coping strategies (p. 243). These strategies can all be affected by personality characteristics. People who are more open to new experiences are more likely to be able to deal with change and take problems head on, whereas people who score lower in this area maybe more avoidant and resistant to change. Other areas of coping that can be associated with the Big Five are things such as taking action or avoiding action when faced with a problem. People who are more extroverted may have better coping in these areas, whereas introverts may be more hesitant. Another aspect of the Big Five that has a lot to do with coping skills is Conscientiousness, which is measured by how well someone can handle their emotions. Reeve discusses how emotions can play a large factor in coping, as those who are better able to control their emotions are more likely to be able to cope with change or problems in their lives (Reeve, 243).
I think that along with this test, using these two sources of information together can really change how someone views their life, situations, and their personality. It could also help when dealing with the aspects of self-efficacy, something that many college students seem to struggle with. The concept of self is one area where personality characteristics can really be seen. Table 10.1 (Reeve, 265) demonstrates how different aspects of psychological well-being are tied into personality traits. Each of the six dimensions include things that are related to personality, such as; positive attitude (self-acceptance, agreeableness), open to new experiences (personal growth, openness), warm relationships with others (positive relationships with others, conscientiousness), and not concerned with others (low positive relations with others, neuroticism), regulates behavior from within (autonomy, neuroticism), makes effective use of surrounding opportunities (environmental mastery, openness), has goals in life (purpose in life, extroversion), sees self as growing and expanding (personal growth, openness) (Reeve, 236).
There are many other aspects of motivation and emotion that relate back to the Big Five. What other factors can be influenced by personality? Is there anything we have discussed in class that doesn't have to do with personality? If personality is so influential, why isn't it discussed more often?
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