Self-awareness: Tips for understanding your personality type

Your personality is one factor that influences how you interact with other people and the world around you. Psychologists have developed several ways to describe human personality, and the five-factor model, commonly known as the Big Five, is one of the most widely used.

The model describes five broad personality traits. These are dimensions rather than fixed personality types, and everyone falls somewhere on a spectrum for each one.

How does the Big Five model describe our personalities and individual differences?

Openness to experience

How open to new experiences are you? Openness to experience relates to qualities such as curiosity, imagination, creativity and a preference for variety.

Those who are high in openness tend to be curious rather than cautious about unfamiliar experiences. They may sometimes be perceived as unpredictable or lacking focus, although this does not necessarily reflect who they are.

Openness also encompasses intellectual curiosity and an appreciation of ideas, art and imagination. It is related to, but not the same as, intelligence. People who score highly in openness may be drawn to creative interests and careers such as writing, art or music, although this will not be true for everyone.

Conscientiousness

Have you ever been described as easy-going or careless? Or perhaps people have called you organised or controlling?

Conscientiousness relates to qualities such as organisation, reliability, self-discipline and how seriously you take your obligations, particularly those you have towards other people.

Some personality models divide conscientiousness into the two broad aspects of industriousness and orderliness. However, other models identify additional facets, so this is not the only way to understand the trait.

Agreeableness

People who are high in agreeableness are often perceived as kind, warm, cooperative and empathetic. Those who score lower may be more competitive, sceptical or direct, although this does not necessarily mean they are unkind.

Agreeableness can include facets such as trust, compliance, modesty and straightforwardness. Do you tend to prioritise harmony, or are you comfortable challenging other people and defending your position?

Extraversion

This trait relates to sociability, assertiveness, energy, positive emotion and the extent to which you seek stimulation from the company of others.

How much do you enjoy spending time with other people? Thinking about this may help you understand where you fall on the extraversion spectrum.

Understanding your tendencies can help you adapt the way you communicate and deepen your relationships with others. This does not mean that an introverted person must become an extravert, or that an extravert should suppress their personality. It is about recognising which situations energise or drain you and adjusting your approach when useful.

Neuroticism

Anger, anxiety, sadness and vulnerability are feelings most of us experience. Neuroticism describes a person’s tendency to experience negative emotions and sensitivity to stress.

Think about how strongly you tend to respond to difficult events. Are you easily upset, or are you generally calm and emotionally steady? These represent different ends of the spectrum, although most people fall somewhere in between. Scoring low in neuroticism means being more emotionally stable; it does not mean being emotionally numb.

How can understanding your personality traits help?

Understanding your personality traits may help you to:

• Make more informed choices within your career.
• Increase your self-awareness.
• Improve your understanding of your relationships with other people.
• Reflect on how you respond to positive and negative emotions.
  Understand some of the patterns behind your behaviour.
• Take greater responsibility for your choices and behaviour.

Be honest with yourself about who you are. Become comfortable in your own skin and act with confidence, knowing that your particular combination of traits is individual to you.