Personality and Individual Difference

This article explores the trait approach and the Big Five model in understanding personality and individual differences. It discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the trait approach, how it can be used in recruitment, and the five broad categories of the Big Five model. It also examines how personality traits can be influenced by situational variables.

Running head: PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE
PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
Trait approach is one among the first systems that were used to study the personality
qualities present within individuals. As the name suggests this theory deals with the
determination of the different traits or the characteristics that are present within the individuals.
As per the opinion of Enquist et al. (2015), personality traits help in defining specific nature or
qualities that are present within an individual. Personality traits like honesty, integrity, empathy
are usually referred to as the qualities that determine the personality ability of the individual.
There are some of the ancient theories developed by scholars like Raymond Cattell, Hans
Eysenck and others that help in understanding the particular trait which is present within
individuals. Understanding the traits present with each individual is of utmost importance
Trait Approach
In the early 20th century the trait theory was used to study personality or the traits that are
present within the individuals that can make them an able leader. This approach is used by
identifying some particular trait within the individuals who can supposedly become able leaders.
The Big Five theory is often used to identify the traits present within an individual. The traits o
qualities are-
• Openness – open to new experience, independent thinking
• Conscientiousness – organization, planning
• Extraversion – sociable, optimistic
• Agreeableness – trusting, sympathetic
• Neuroticism – emotional stability/volatility

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Many different scholars have put forward many different theories to understand and study
the different traits present within individuals. Gordon Allport is a famous scholar in the field of
psychology who has invented about 4000 different terms to understand the trait theory present
within the individuals. However, Costa (2017) has urged that it is not possible to understand the
so many different types of traits present within the individuals. It will really be a very tough job
for the psychologists to understand the traits present within each of their clients. Thus Raymond
Cattell worked on these 4000 traits and shortened them down into 16 traits. However, he has also
said that these traits can be either hereditically gained by individuals or obtained after being
subjected to any particular environmental surrounding for a long time.
The other significant psychologist of the ancient time is Hans Eysenck (Gottfredson
2016). He invented the theory of three factors that are used to study the personality traits
among individual in the day to day life. The three factors are
 Extroversion vs. Introversion
 Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability
 Psychoticism vs. Self-Control
The weakness of the Trait approach
The trait theory cannot be used for long term recruitment or hiring process because there
is no surety about the stability or longevity of these traits. There might be many emergencies
taking place in the organization which will make the leaders act in a different way than the
quality which they showed earlier. Each and every trait theories have their weaknesses or
criticism. Cattell and a Dual (2018) has stated that Cattell’s theory helps us in understanding the

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emotionally stable people and people who are mad (neurotics). However, the traits or the features
present within the psychotic people cannot be studied. However, this theory is too difficult to
understand. On the other hand, Eysenck's theory is also limited in scope. Thus it leads to the
foundation of the Big Five theory or the big five model approach to learn about the personality
traits. Big Five model was established with the motif of making the works of psychologist much
easier as they get the five broad categories. However, Zuroff et al. (2016) have argued that these
five categories can also be critical at times and so they can be brought into one particular general
or basic factor. The criticism mainly points towards the fact that the negative traits (like being
rude, selfish, cheating and others) or the psychoticism does not necessarily have any good
impacts or any kinds of advantages.
Strength of the Trait Approach
This theory can be used to categorize people into groups easily. This is a very useful
strategy used by the HR managers while they are hiring employees in any particular post. The
HR managers can look for certain traits within the individuals and then decide if they are suitable
enough for the job (Peterson et al. 2017). This method helps them to identify if the personality
traits are present within the individuals. Thus the process of recruiting becomes much easier.
This might also act as a guide for the people to know about the traits which are needed for
becoming able leaders.
Big Five Model
Giluk and Postlethwaite (2015) are of the opinion that the big five models were established in
order to reduce the complications that are associated in studying the different kinds of traits with

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the help of other complicated theories. Big five model helps in categorizing the traits into five
big or broader categories. The five broader categories are-
 Openness-People who score high in openness usually are of free and accepting nature.
They are open towards accepting new and dynamic ideas.
 Conscientiousness-People with traits or features like organized, disciplined, thorough
usually get a high score on this aspect. Individuals with this particular trait are very smart
and prompt in raking any actions.
 Extraversion-Extroverts are people who do not keep their thoughts hidden within
themselves. They always like to talk to others and talk about their inner feelings. They
are talkative, assertive and of a very energetic nature.
 Agreeableness- These individuals are friendly and helpful in nature. They are always
active in rendering their help towards others and are sympathetic in nature.
 Neuroticism-This refers to emotional stability. People having a high score are usually
diagnosed as clinically mad. They suffer from emotional outbursts or negative emotions.
They often get very moody and also of a tense, aggressive nature.
Just as the different another personality test, this testing tool is also used for understanding about
the different traits that are present within all the individuals. The personality of all the individuals
is derived from the different characteristic features or the traits that are present within them.
Myers Biggs or the MBTI test is one of the well-known personality types tests that help the
individuals to understand their own traits and personality type. The big five model helps in

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understanding and deciding the traits within the individuals by categorizing those under five
broad categories.
The NEO-PI-R questionnaire is used in order to undertake the test. The big five dimensions of
the personality categories under this test are as follows
Conscientiousness – organization, planning
This trait talks about the planning and organizing abilities of individuals. As per the
opinion of Giluk and Postlethwaite (2015), conscientiousness is a trait that helps in making a
goal oriented and objective oriented personality. People who have a high score of
conscientiousness are capable of developing a very good professional nature. Such personalities
are able to develop a very good and secured position for themselves in their workplaces (Buttner
et al. 2015).
This is because they are always very keen on the details of their assignments. They make
sure that they are always moving forward with a certain goal or objective. Such personalities can
shine very well in their professional fields in the long run. However, Smith et al. (2016) have
argued that providing too much of time in each and every aspect of any work assignment might
often result in the delaying of the work. As these personalities try to finish the work quickly they
might run the risk of making mistakes (Enquist et al. 2015). On the other hand, paying too many
details can often make them suffer from time constraints. As per the test result, the score is 29
which is a low score. It shows that low score conscientiousness personalities are very impulsive
and do not believe in making long term plans. They are always living for the moment and do not
move forward with any plans or schedules.

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• Extraversion – sociable, optimistic
Extraversion is a trait that helps in understanding the nature of a person. In other words, it
helps in understanding if a person likes to stay quiet or is always looking for opportunities to
communicate and interact with new people (Fleeson and Jayawickreme 2016). Personalities who
have a high extraversion score are usually very talkative and have a large social circle. However,
people with a low score here are quiet and have a very narrow range of friends (Rammstedt et al.
2017). As per the test result, the extraversion score is low, which shows that this individual is of
a very quiet, reserved and unsocial personality. He bears the trait of staying calm, quiet and all
by himself. In other words, they do not really like to communicate with people and do not enjoy
being in a huge social circle. Smith et al. ( 2016) have suggested that openness is a unique and
important trait of every individual. Openness signifies an open and free mind that is ready to
accept the new and dynamic ideas within any hesitations. Individuals getting a high score in this
field are said to have a very broader area of interest. They are of a very creative and open nature.
They try to challenge the age-old norms and undertake new and innovative ideas (Etzel and
Nagy 2016). They are different from traditional people. Thus people who get a high score in this
area are said to have a very open and approachable personality. They are always ready to
challenge age-old social stereotypes and accept all kinds of new and innovative ideas. As per the
test that has been undertaken the score in this area is 90. This signifies that the individual is open
to all the new ideas and can accept change easily.

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• Agreeableness – trusting, sympathetic
This trait helps in determining if a certain personality is kind or affectionate towards
others. People having a high score are usually more affectionate towards others and have a very
friendly personality. As per the test was taken, the score is 75 which is a high score showing that
the individual is of an agreeable personality. He bears traits like kindness and looking after the
well being of others. However, Stajkovic et al. (2018) have argued that nature or the trait might
be subjected to changes under different circumstances (Peterson et al. 2017). For example a
kind-hearted person may often become selfish and want to take revenge from someone who has
caused some severe harm to him in the past (Peterson et al.2017). Thus the scores or results
obtained in one round of the test may not be sufficient in judging that particular trait for the
entire lifetime.
• Neuroticism – emotional stability/volatility
The traits like sadness, emotional outbursts, irritability and moos swigs seen within an
individual fall under this category. Individuals getting a high score here are said to be of an
unstable and irritable personality. They often tend to get angry at one moment and happy at the
next moment. On the contrary people getting a low score are said to bear a calm and emotionally
stable personality. However, Judge and Zapata (2015) have argued that the change in mood and
temperament is subjected to many different forces in the social and the cultural surroundings of
people. Thus individuals might show changes in their personality traits as and when there is a
change or variation in their socio-cultural setup.

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• Extroversion vs. Introversion
As per the test that has been undertaken, it is seen that a low score on extraversion means the
person is essentially quiet and calm. As per my perception I am introvert in nature. My
introversion traits are much more dominant than the extraversion traits. I like to stay by myself
and do not really like taking to many people at any social place. Individuals who have a low
score in extraversion versus introversion are of a calm nature. They are not very outspoken in
nature and try to do all their wok by themselves.
• Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability
Neuroticism vs emotional stability defines the mood swing or the temperament of people in
different situations. As per the test conducted the score is high which means that the individual is
emotionally unstable. He gets angry and also happy at very short intervals. There are common
mood swings when the neuroticism is higher. People, who have a high Neuroticism in
Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability, usually have a tendency of losing their calm and reacting to
every situation in an unchecked manner
• Psychoticism vs. Self-Control
Psychoticism refers to the unstable emotional state. It is seen that self control is a lacking in
people who are having a high psychotic behavior. These people tend to get angry and lose a
proper control over them.

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Big Five Model theory is being largely used in different parts of the world in order to
understand the personalities of different individuals. It is a very important tool in medical
grounds. Psychologists can carry on their counseling sessions by understanding the dominant
personality traits within their patients. Thus, it can be summarized that learning about the
different traits within individuals is of utmost importance as it helps in understanding the
personality in a deeper way. Going back to the ancient days, one can refer to the different
personality theories like the Eysenck's hierarchy of traits, Cattell's 16 Personality Factors (16PF)
and also the Big Five Model trait theory. However, it has been seen by the ancient scholars and
psychologists that there are often a huge amount of complications included in the Eysenck’s
hierarchy of traits, Cattell's 16 Personality Factors (16PF) models.
As a result of this, they have invented the Big Five Model that helps in categorizing the
inherent traits of individuals under five broad categories (Buttner et al. 2015). Big Five model
was established with the motif of making the works of psychologist much easier as they get the
five broad categories. However, Zuroff et al. (2016) have argued that these five categories can
also be critical at times and so they can be brought into one particular general or basic factor.
The scores or ratings available after taking the test must not be considered as unchangeable and
everlasting. Individuals must be aware of the fact that under varying circumstance these traits
will undergo several changes.
Lefevor and Fowers (2016) have argued that that behavior involves an interaction
between a person's underlying personality and situational variables. Thus no matter how much

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universal the Big Five Model traits might be the personality of an individual is bound to undergo
several changes as and when they are experiencing some differences in their social surroundings.
However it must be noted in this context that researchers have found the scores on the Big Five
Model test to be more or less universal, there is still a possibility of slight changes. Individuals
bear a strong connection with their social surroundings and they respond differently to different
stimuli. Personality is a very complicated concept and is also subject to some of the other
changes along with changes in the surrounding ambiance of the individuals.
Recommendation
 It is recommended that people taking the test of the Big Five model must not blindly
believe in the scores. This is because the scores might be subjected to changes as per the
different changes in the situation and the surroundings.
 Individuals trying to understand their own personalities must also consider all the other
alternatives like peer reviews, feedbacks from coaches and mentors and many other such
sources. This will help them to understand the opinion and views of others regarding their
personality traits.
 Abiding by the Big Five Model will be helpful in understating about the broad categories
of traits that make up the personality of the individuals but getting a second opinion is
always recommended.
Conclusion
Thus it can be concluded that the Big Five Model is an important tool that helps in
studying the personalities of individuals. This model is widely accepted and used in different
areas as it is easier to handle and understand that the rest of the models. However, there are

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factors like the social, cultural, political and economic conditions of an individual that has
significant impacts on the personality of individuals. Thus individuals must be aware that
personality traits will undergo several changes along with the different changes going on in the
surroundings.

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Appendices

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