All About You — Day 2: Big 5 Personality Test

Wednesday, July 23rd 2008 by Shanel Yang

[For “Day 1: Your Top 10 Lists,” click here.]

ALL ABOUT YOU — DAY 2:

BIG 5 PERSONALITY TRAITS TEST

I hope you all learned a lot about yourselves from the last exercise of filling out your own Top 10 Lists, followed by the analysis of how your choices describe and define you, but, also, influence your future choices, and, hence, ultimately, your destiny.

Review them regularly and revise them as you continue to evolve from the person you are to the person you might not recognize today if you met yourself 5, 10, 15, or 20 years from now!

Today, we have a much lighter exercise. A questionnaire to help you discover whether you are (1) introverted or extroverted; (2) open or closed to experience; (3) conscientious/responsible or spontaneous/impulsive; (4) agreeable/cooperative or independent/competitive; and (5) serene/optimistic or neurotic/pessimistic.

A. INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT

1. I would rather my work:

2. In a room full of strangers, I would:

3. During a break at work, I would take the opportunity to:

4. When invited to a group activity:

5. I prefer to be with:

6. When in a group, I am:

7. In communicating with a group of people about the same issue, I prefer to:

8. I am inclined to:

9. Being alone for a whole weekend:

any

10. I prefer:

Analysis: If you answered mostly the “a’s” above, you are an introvert. If you answered mostly the “b’s,” then you are an extrovert. Introverts tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and less engaged in the social world than extroverts.

However, the introvert is not shy or depressed. We simply need less stimulation than extroverts and often prefer and actually enjoy their alone time. Sometimes, our independence is mistaken for unfriendliness or arrogance. But, many of us introverts who would not normally seek out interactions with others are quite friendly and agreeable once we are approached by others—even strangers.

People often misunderstand introverts because we are only 25% of the population compared to the 75% of extroverts. I learned how to mimic the generally admired traits of extroversion here in the U.S. for my own survival and well being. (If you would like to know the how and why of that story, see “How to Be an Extrovert.”)

The positive traits of extroverts are:

Friendliness: Extroverts really love interacting with just about everybody. They make lots of friends and form even intimate friendships quickly and easily. Although introverts may also appreciate most people, we prefer it to do it most often from afar. We don’t reach out to strangers for some quick assistance, company, or small talk to kill a few minutes while waiting in line some place nearly as often as extroverts do. Thus, we tend to be perceived as arrogant, anti-social, or shy.

Gregariousness: Extroverts enjoy interacting with lots of other people and find it both stimulating and rewarding. They find crowds fun and exciting. Introverts need more privacy and alone time, though we also enjoy socializing in our own way, bonding with a much smaller group of carefully selected close-knit friends.

Assertiveness: Extroverts like to speak out, take charge, and direct the activities of others. They tend to be the leaders in groups. Most introverts prefer to let others do most of the talking and to let them control the activities.

High Activity Level: Extroverts always seem to be on the go, squeezing in as much as they can in a day, and are actually energized by their fast-paced schedules. Introverts prefer the more leisurely, relaxed way doing things.

Need for Excitement: Extroverts gets easily bored and, thus, need high levels of external stimulation. They are the thrillseekers and risktakers who chase the adrenaline rush. Introverts, on the other hand, are overwhelmed by too much noise and activity and are happy to stay safely away from the big thrills and risks.

Cheerfulness: Extroverts are more likely to openly show happiness, enthusiasm, optimism, and joy than introverts typically do. Introverts usually don’t walk around in such high spirits with a similar energetic spring in their steps.

B. OPEN OR CLOSED TO EXPERIENCE

1. I would be more interested in:

2. I would prefer to:

3. I tend to prefer to:

4. I am better at:

5. I am more excited thinking about:

6. I prefer to create something that is:

7. Typically I like to:

8. I would find more value in studying:

9. I tend to make up my mind by:

10. If it were possible, I would prefer to:

Analysis: If you answered mostly the “a’s” above, you are “open to experience,” according to the Five-Factor Model. If you answered mostly the “b’s,” then you are “closed to experience.” The contrast between the two traits is that “open” people are said to be more imaginative, artistic, emotional, adventurous, intellectually curious, and unconventional while the “closed” people are more factual, practical, emotionally reserved, prefer routines, uninterested in pure ideas, and traditional.

C. CONSCIENTIOUS/RESPONSIBLE OR SPONTANEOUS/IMPULSIVE

1. In keeping an appointment, I am more likely to arrive:

2. What I do is usually:

3. When I am attending to something important:

4. I prefer to:

5. I tend to agree that:

6. I tend to prefer to:

7. In regards to the statement, “The end justifies the means”:

8. If I am going to attend an important meeting or interview, I:

9. I think that:

10. I would cope with worries or problems:

Analysis: If you answered mostly the “a’s” above, you are more conscientious/responsible. If you answered mostly the “b’s,” then you are more spontaneous/impulsive. Conscientious/responsible people are confident, competent, organized, dutiful, strive for excellence, disciplined, and cautious. Spontaneous/impulsive people tend to feel ineffective and lack organizational skills, be unreliable, be seen as lazy, procrastinate and often fail to complete tasks, and act without thinking too much about the consequences or alternatives.

D. AGREEABLE/COOPERATIVE OR INDEPENDENT/COMPETITIVE

1. When working with people, it is better when:

2. People who work together are happiest when:

3. When there is an urgent problem, it is best to:

4. If I am with a group of people:

5. I am more likely to deal with the difficulties a person has by:

6. People perform better when they are motivated by:

7. When a group of people want somebody to take charge, I am likely to:

8. Listening to the thoughts and feelings of everybody who is involved in a project:

9. I would rather that my bosses:

10. I believe that understanding people’s attitudes and values:

Analysis: If you answered mostly the “a’s” above, you are more agreeable/cooperative. If you answered mostly the “b’s,” then you are more independent/competitive. Agreeable/cooperative people are trusting, openly share their true thoughts and feelings, genuinely enjoy helping others, sacrifice their own needs to avoid conflicts with others, modest (which may derive from low self-esteem or confidence), and are tenderhearted and compassionate.

Independent/competitive people see others as selfish, sneaky, and potentially dangerous. Therefore, they are more guarded and don’t enjoy helping strangers as much. They are also more likely to intimidate others to get what they want, may consider themselves superior (or at least dislike or mistrust modesty), and prefer objectively fair or rational decisions to emotional appeals for mercy or pity.

E. SERENE/OPTIMISTIC OR NEUROTIC/PESSIMISTIC

1. When faced with unexpected events, I:

2. When I speak to people on almost any subject:

3. People feel that if I were asked to do something difficult:

4. I thrive on pressure and tough challenges:

5. When I take on difficult responsibilities or have to make decisions:

6. If asked to take on a responsibility that is new to me, I think:

7. I sometimes think my views are less interesting or useful than those of others:

8. I feel that for me it is:

9. When asked to do something that has been beyond me thus far, I am:

10. I find that self-doubt prevents me from doing what I would like:

Analysis: If you answered mostly the “a’s” above, you are more serene/optimistic. If you answered mostly the “b’s,” then you are more neurotic/pessimistic. Serene/optimistic people are calm and tend to experience less fear in general. They also don’t get angry, depressed, or self-conscious often or easily. They don’t experience strong, irresistible cravings and thus rarely overindulge. Finally, they are able to remain poised, confident, and clear-headed even when stressed.

Neurotic/pessimistic people experience: fear; anger; depression; self-consciousness (extremely sensitive about what others think of them; concerns about rejection and ridicule cause shyness around others; easily embarrassed and often ashamed; though their fears that others will criticize or make fun of them are usually exaggerated and unrealistic, their awkwardness and discomfort might make these fears a self-fulfilling prophecy); cravings or irresistible impulses and, hence, binges. Under pressure or stress, they experience panic, confusion, and helplessness.

MAKING SENSE OF IT ALL

This test is in no way meant to pigeonhole you to one set of personality traits and forever deny you the benefits from all the others. Nor should you feel confident that you will always enjoy the positive traits you currently possess. Our personalities are fluid works in progress. I already mentioned that I actively changed my natural-born high level of introversion to (at least on the outside) an off-the-charts level of extroversion whenever I need or want to act that way. I also mentioned that I similarly made myself more independent/competitive because I was way too agreeable/cooperative for my own good. I’m so much happier now!

The good news is you can keep all the positive traits you like and work on changing only the ones you don’t mind leaving behind in your past by replacing them with the new traits you want to see yourself having in the near future. Dare to take full responsibility for your future starting now. I challenge you to make yourself happy!

TO BE CONTINUED …

This is going to be an adventurous journey into our past, present, and future lives. None of us can be prepared for what we might find along the way. So, just sit back and enjoy the ride! Also, I hope at least some of you brave souls will share your answers, insights, and revelations in the comments below for everyone’s benefit!

When you’re done, collect your answers and keep them in a safe place. I recommend a diary. It makes a precious gift to someone you love, especially you!

[For, “Day 3: Childhood Happiness,” click here.]

[For entire “All About You” series, click here.]

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