New Year’s resolutions are a good thing, but they often end in failure. Why is that? If we set a goal to go to the gym more often or spend fewer hours watching TV, discipline plays the main role in our success. But what if we want to change our behavior? What if we want to go from being a loner to a sought-after companion, or increase our mental resilience in the face of events we can’t control? These are far more complex resolutions, and failure stems not only from a lack of discipline but also from our inner doubt that we can achieve truly lasting change.
For a long time, both experts and the general public believed that human personality is fixed and unchangeable. Efforts to change it were considered a futile struggle. One of the best-known personality theories emerged in the 1990s. It was based on extensive research aimed at identifying as precisely as possible the core traits that make up the human personality. The result was the definition of five basic personality traits. It is called the Five-Factor Model of Personality, or the Big Five (Big Five). These are five scales, or dimensions, which have become known in our country as agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, extraversion, and neuroticism.
The way scientists arrived at these scales was quite original. They started by taking dictionaries and listing all the adjectives. They then filtered out those that could be used to describe a person. In the next step, they filtered the long list to include only adjectives that denoted a human trait or characteristic. They then divided the words obtained in this way into five major groups, namely the Big Five.
The Five-Factor Model of Personality
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Agreeableness—this dimension determines how we interact with others. A high level of this factor involves a pleasant to warm demeanor, selflessness, and a willingness to help. Individuals prioritize achieving harmony in relationships and have no problem backing down in a conflict. They trust others and prefer cooperation over rivalry. Conversely, a low score on this trait is characterized by irritability, hostility, and competitiveness.
High score: Kind-hearted, gentle, tolerant, warm, modest, conciliatory
Low score: Domineering, aggressive, vengeful, heartless, despotic, confrontational
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Conscientiousness—the essence of this dimension is responsibility, motivation, and perseverance. A person with a high level of this dimension is every employer’s dream—they are reliable, disciplined, detail-oriented, and excellent at planning their work. They are also orderly and meticulous in their personal life. They also enjoy learning and do not need external motivation to do so. Conversely, a deficiency in this dimension manifests as laziness, carelessness, disorganization, and a lack of commitment to achieving goals and fulfilling responsibilities.
High level: Reliable, hardworking, precise, orderly, responsible, meticulous
Low level: Aimless, careless, lazy, irresponsible, chaotic, inconsistent
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Openness to experience—this dimension can be understood as a tendency to seek out new experiences and sensations. A person with a high score is tolerant of new things, has a vivid imagination, and is interested in the arts. The personality is intelligent and cultured. They form independent judgments and tend to come up with original ideas. Conversely, a person with a low score on this dimension is conservative and rather realistic. They uncritically accept traditional practices and tend to live by dogma. Their emotional reactions may also be subdued.
High score: Curious, original, creative, imaginative, intelligent, cultured
Low score: Conventional, pragmatic, realistic, inflexible, unintelligent, uneducated
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Extraversion - As the name suggests, this dimension describes how socially active we are. A person with a high level of extraversion seeks out the company of others. They enjoy being the center of attention and thrive on energetic discussions. They are good organizers and can captivate others with their eloquence and charm. Solitude can greatly unsettle them. At the opposite end of the spectrum is a person who doesn’t mind solitude and may even seek it out. When in social settings, they tend to avoid contact. They prefer to talk with a few people they know well.
High level: Sociable, active, talkative, friendly, assertive, bold
Low level: Reserved, taciturn, shy, timid, solitary, quiet
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Neuroticism - This dimension distinguishes how an individual reacts to frustrating situations. At its extremes are emotionally unstable and stable personality traits. A high level of neuroticism is characterized by irritability or explosiveness. Mental energy is depleted very quickly. The individual feels vulnerable, nervous, and insecure. They often experience fear, anxiety, and sadness. They tend to cry easily. At the opposite end of the spectrum is a person who is balanced, calm, and carefree. They are able to keep their emotions in check and maintain a healthy perspective.
High level: Tense, restless, unstable, insecure, hot-tempered, irritable
Low level: Calm, relaxed, balanced, stable, self-confident, resilient
All of these traits were previously thought to be stable and impossible to permanently change. It wasn’t until a 2013 study showed that this is not true. Eight thousand Australians participated in the study, completing a questionnaire that assessed their personality traits. Four years later, they answered the same questions again. The researchers were convinced that the traits would remain the same, but contrary to expectations, they had changed—enough to affect the participants’ overall satisfaction with their current lives.
Do you believe you can permanently change your personality, or are you rather skeptical about such ideas? In either case, don’t miss our next article, in which we’ll describe the individual steps needed to achieve this lasting change.
