An Overview of Objective Personality Tests

Introduction to the Big Five Theory

The Big Five Theory, otherwise referred to as the Five-Factor Model, was developed and defined by various individual researcher groups. It is a system for defining personality with five very broad categories. Each category is used in the definition of an individual’s personality and is marked to gauge the degree to which an individual tends to behave. This scaling indicates high or low tendencies in personality based on the specific criteria of each category that reflect an individual's answers. Using the OCEAN acronym, the Big Five factors are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. Each factor is defined by six different facets which are considered when trying to define an individual’s personality. McCrae and Costa (1997) proposed their idea of the Five-Factor model of personality (with the variables of OCEAN) as a test for predicting personality based on a set of traits observable from behavior. Theoretical conclusions about the personality test are that it can predict patterns of behavior based on answers given reflecting certain traits. Other conclusions include supporting evidence of some consistency among age, gender, and language groups. Although some differences have been observed among cultures, there is support for heritability suggesting some form of biological link (McCrae & Costa, 1997).

An Overview of Objective Personality Tests

McCrae and Costa (1997) described extraversion as an individual considered to be outgoing and someone that thrives in social settings. Introverts are defined as quiet and reserved individuals that tend to seek solitude and often feel exhausted (both physically and mentally) in social settings. In the description put forth of Subira, she is introverted; it is revealed as her true nature that she shows only to her friends. The extraverted appearance she puts on is one of the things she thinks she needs to do to reach her goal. It also means that she is naturally introverted except for certain environments where she feels comfortable expressing herself (i.e., introverted with extraverted tendencies). She also knows what she needs to do to get her big break on Broadway, and it is not about being quiet and waiting for someone to hand it to her. Attention-seeking, yes, but being an actress does not mean you have to be constantly sociable.

According to McCrae and Costa (1997), the next dimension of high Neuroticism is defined by emotional reactivity and a tendency to experience emotions such as anger, stress, depression, and anxiety in response to situations and bad experiences. Low Neuroticism is defined by emotional stability, where an individual is described as naturally calm and reacts to situations in a healthy manner. They are able to control impulses, unlike individuals scoring higher. Subira would score high in this dimension as demonstrated by her high tendencies toward self-consciousness. Her self-consciousness has been observed not only by her boyfriend but by her friends too. She believes the solution to her problems with her body is to get plastic surgery, which would be considered an unhealthy and impulsive solution to her perceived problem.

Openness to Experience

The Openness to experience factor is defined by imagination, artistic abilities, and unconventional ways of problem-solving in someone that exhibits high tendencies. Someone that exhibits low tendencies prefers to problem-solve using conventional and proven methods. Abstract ideas and discussing complex topics are also avoided. Subira demonstrates many of the six facets that define very high openness to experience. She describes in the case that she is always open to trying new things, whether it's going to new places for dinner or experiencing different cultures in her city.

Agreeableness

High Agreeableness is observed in individuals who are considered very friendly and compassionate to others, whether it's about their feelings or well-being. Individuals exhibiting higher tendencies also exhibit high levels of altruism, compliance, and trust. Subira is described as someone you can count on in tough situations and very easy to please when it comes to deciding what to do as a group. She is one to avoid confrontation and is always sympathetic. She exhibits a high tendency for Agreeableness reflected by her observed behavior as described by friends and family.

Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness in individuals exhibiting high levels tends to be organized and responsible in any activity they take on while doing anything it takes to reach their goals. They also tend to calculate their next moves, weighing the possible outcomes very carefully. Individuals that show low levels of Conscientiousness are considered lazy or easy-going, careless, and show very little self-discipline. Subira shows a lot of contradiction where sometimes she shows high levels of conscientiousness and at other times very low levels. She is considered very self-disciplined, goal-oriented, and knows what she needs to do to get there but shirks other responsibilities and breaks promises without weighing possible outcomes. Friends tend to forgive her, but this reflects poorly on her personality. She has a very high sense of self-competence as well. She does not have a very clear tendency toward high or low Conscientiousness because she can exhibit high levels when with her friends and family or when she is focusing on her Broadway dream, but when it concerns work and people counting on her, she does not consider the consequences of missing shifts and forgetting to show up.

Discussion and Criticisms

McCrae and Costa (1997) would explain some of these inconsistencies in Subira’s behavior as an equal balance between high and low tendencies or would consider her adaptable to different situations or as someone without principles unable to regulate their behavior. These variables cause many psychologists to question whether other common factors could be added to the model to make it more accurate. There is a stress that to make the personality test and results of the Five-Factor Model more universal by going beyond just the test and including other factors like cognition or socioecological considerations as well. Although other tests have been developed to try to address these issues, like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2), the Five-Factor Model is still widely regarded as the simplest to use for general personality indication (Butcher et al., 2001). The MMPI-2 test is also able to apply several techniques that try to prevent users from trying to alter results by falsely replying to questions, whether it is to make themselves look better or because of poor self-image.

Some applications of this test include screening applicants for jobs or using the test in classrooms to better understand a child’s learning style. Research has found that certain factors correlate more strongly to different learning styles and the educational identity of students. It was found that extraversion and openness positively correlated with elaborate processing, while high tendencies for openness showed greater academic achievement (DeYoung et al., 2010). Other research suggests that using the Five-Factor Model along with the four learning styles (auditory, visual, reading and writing, and kinesthetic) can help predict academic performance and motivation that leads to certain academic outcomes. Students that display high levels of conscientiousness are more likely to be very goal-oriented and manage time effectively for studying. This is a strong indicator for the development of proper and strong study habits and self-adjusting these when deemed ineffective. This is positively correlated with very good test performance (Poropat, 2009).

Conclusion

Although the Five-Factor Model is widely disputed, it does have strengths as it is easy to use and understand. It provides a lot of information and insight into an individual’s personality. The Big Five Model is also objective as it relies on statistical and objective data rather than relying mainly on a theorist's only personal experience. Examples of this include Jung, who based his theory on his fascination with mythology, or Freud, who based his theory on his relationship with his mother, which would differ from other child-parent relationships. Some criticisms observed are that it is not a good predictor of future behavior and does not take into account that individuals develop and change. This model is based only on present answers and behaviors without any indication of an individual's past or future.

Further Research

Research is constantly being done to try to improve the effectiveness of deciphering personality. In many recent studies, it seems as though the Five-Factor Model has been a solid base for many other theorists, indicating some resistance to change but also a recognition of reliability (John et al., 2008).

References

• Butcher, J. N., Graham, J. R., Ben-Porath, Y. S., Tellegen, A., Dahlstrom, W. G., & Kaemmer, B. (2001). MMPI-2: Manual for administration, scoring, and interpretation (Rev. ed.). University of Minnesota Press.
• DeYoung, C. G., Quilty, L. C., & Peterson, J. B. (2010). Between facets and domains: 10 aspects of the Big Five. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(5), 880-896.
• John, O. P., Naumann, L. P., & Soto, C. J. (2008). Paradigm shift to the integrative Big Five trait taxonomy. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed., pp. 114-158). Guilford Press.
• McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T., Jr. (1997). Personality trait structure as a human universal. American Psychologist, 52(5), 509-516.
• Poropat, A. E. (2009). A meta-analysis of the five-factor model of personality and academic performance. Psychological Bulletin, 135(2), 322-338.