Big Five personality traits

The study of personality has long been a cornerstone of psychology, seeking to unravel the mysteries of what makes individuals unique. Among the myriad of approaches to understanding personality, one framework stands out for its simplicity and robustness: the Big Five personality traits. These traits, often referred to as the Five Factor Model (FFM), provide a comprehensive framework for describing and understanding human personality. In this article, we delve into the Big Five model, exploring its origins, dimensions, and implications for understanding human behavior and individual differences. The Big Five personality traits, sometimes known as "the five-factor model of personality" or "OCEAN model", is a grouping of five unique characteristics used to study personality. It has been developed from the 1980s onward in psychological trait theory.

Starting in the 1990s, the theory identified five factors and ten values. Each of the five factors may be further divided into two distinct values. These factors and values are as follows:

• openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious)
• conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless)
• extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved)
• agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. critical/judgmental)
• neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident)

When factor analysis is applied to personality survey data, it reveals semantic associations: some words used to describe aspects of personality are often applied to the same person. For example, someone described as conscientious is more likely to be described as "always prepared" rather than "messy". These associations suggest five broad dimensions used in common language to describe the human personality, temperament, and psyche.

Those labels for the five factors may be remembered using the acronyms "OCEAN" or "CANOE". Beneath each proposed global factor, there are a number of correlated and more specific primary factors. For example, extraversion is typically associated with qualities such as gregariousness, assertiveness, excitement-seeking, warmth, activity, and positive emotions. These traits are not black and white; each one is treated as a spectrum.