The lecture readings described each of the Big Five dimensions of personality as being on a continuum, with extremes at either end and most of us falling somewhere in between. Recall those dimensions:
Openness to New Experiences
On one side those who have a preference for novelty, especially in intellectual experiences and ideas. People who are adventurous, spontaneous, unconventional, open-minded and imaginative. On the other side would those who have a preference for stability, safety and security. People who are creatures of habit, conservative, traditional and close-minded.
Conscientiousness
On the conscientious side would be those with a tendency to show self-discipline, responsibility, dependability, reliability and to follow through on their commitments. On the other side would be those who are unreliable and rather hit or miss when it comes to commitments. Flakey.
Extroversion versus Introversion
Extroverts seek activity and enjoy the company of other people. They are outgoing, social, gregarious, spontaneous, impulsive and active. They enjoy group interaction and are comfortable receiving attention. Introverts seek solitude and enjoy time by themselves. They are shy, reserved, contemplative, analytic and deliberate. More than anything they avoid drawing attention to themselves.
Agreeableness
Agreeable people are congenial, conciliatory, compassionate, empathetic and flexible. Disagreeable people are antagonistic, argumentative, abusive and may be indifferent toward others and their feelings.
Neuroticism (Emotional Stability)
Those who are not neurotic prefer to focus on positive aspects of situations and positive emotions. They are stable, optimistic, secure and confident. While those who might be classified as neurotic focus on negative aspects of situations and negative emotions. They are erratic, pessimistic and unsure. They also tend to lack confidence and worry excessively.
For this assignment examine where you feel you fit on each of these five dimensions. For some of them you may feel you’re kind of in the middle, while for others you might feel you are toward an extreme end of the continuum. For example, open to new experiences so long as they’re not too extreme (I’m not jumping out a plane) while seeing yourself as very agreeable and always easy to get along with. Feel free to cite some examples from your life such as how you reacted in certain situations, how friends have described you and so forth to back up your assessment. And do you think you have changed along any of these dimensions as you’ve gotten older?
Because there’s a lot packed into this module I’m giving you an extra week on this assignment. It will be the only thing due for next week besides the exam.
