Emotional stability big five

What is Neuroticism? - Learn all about the neuroticism personality trait

JavaScript

For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser.

Emotional stability or neuroticism is one of the five personality traits of the Big Five personality theory. Emotional stability refers to a person's ability to remain stable and balanced. At the other end of the scale, a person who is high in neuroticism has a tendency to easily experience negative emotions. Neuroticism is similar but not identical to being neurotic in the Freudian sense. Some psychologists prefer to call neuroticism by the term emotional stability to differentiate it from the term neurotic in a career test.

Individual high in emotional stability is stable and calm

People who score high in emotional stability (low in neuroticism) on a career test react less emotionally and are less easily upset. They tend to be emotionally stable, calm, and do not constantly experience negative feelings. The fact that these individuals are free from experiencing negative feelings does not mean that they experience a lot of positive feelings. The latter is a trait of the extraversion trait.

Individual high in neuroticism is emotionally reactive

People who score high in neuroticism are very emotionally reactive. They will have an emotional response to events that would not affect most people. A high scorer in neuroticism on a personality test has a greater chance of feeling threatened or being in a bad mood in a normal situation. They may find it difficult to think clearly and cope with stress. Take a free personality test to learn more about your career strengths and to test personality.

Sub traits of the emotional stability trait

Each of the Big Five personality traits is made up of six facets or sub traits. To test personality, these can be assessed independently of the trait that they belong to. The sub traits of the emotional stability trait are:

Anxiety
Anger
Depression
Self-consciousness
Immoderation
Vulnerability

Free Big Five personality test

Want to learn more about yourself and your strengths? Take a free Big Five personality test

To the personality test

Careers and emotional stability trait

A person who has a high level of emotional stability is preferred in most professions because they have more control over their emotions at work. Employees with low emotional stability may be more easily distracted from their work, by deadlines, personal situations, and pressure.

Take a free personality test to learn more about yourself

The emotional stability trait is one of five domains in the Big Five personality theory developed by many different researchers over the years. It is the most scientifically validated and reliable psychological model to test personality. To test personality and learn more about your work preferences, take a free personality test or a career test now.

The Big 5 Personality Traits

Personality can be described by five distinct traits, and together they are known as the Big Five.

Personalities contain the patterns of your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make each person unique. Together, these aspects can play a role in every part of our lives, from friendships to careers, to hobbies.

Throughout history, researchers have tried to simplify complex personalities by suggesting that most people fit into specific categories. By focusing on an individual’s characteristics and patterns of behavior, researchers can try and predict or explain behavior.

Experts believe that there are five personality traits, known as the “Big Five” or the Five-Factor Model. Each trait reflects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. This model is one of the most widely used frameworks in personality research.

According to a 2015 article, the Big Five model is one of the most recognized approaches to describing and measuring individual differences in one’s personality. It’s used to help people better understand themselves and how they compare to others.

Companies use this model to predict how employees or potential candidates relate to others. Also, it can be used for understanding how employees might think and handle stress.

The Big Five personality traits consist of:

agreeableness
conscientiousness
extraversion
neuroticism
openness to experience

Each of the five personality factors is composed of a range between two extremes. Most people score in between the two ends of each dimension.

Extraversion, sometimes called extroversion, reflects how you interact socially. It describes your emotional expression and how comfortable you are in your environment.

People who score high in extraversion may have tendencies to:

be more outgoing and talkative
thrive in social situations
have a wide social circle and find it easy to make friends
like to start conversations
feel comfortable arguing and debating your opinions
seek excitement
generally enjoy being around people
work in a supervisor position with others

If you score lower on extraversion in the Big Five model, you might:

be more introverted or reserved
feel tired after socializing
prefer solitude or need more periods of alone time
feel uncomfortable interacting with strangers
dislike small talk
tend to avoid large groups
be uncomfortable as the center of attention

Agreeableness is a personality trait that describes how you treat your relationships with others. It’s how kind and helpful you are toward people. Overall, high agreeableness means you desire to keep things running smoothly and value social harmony.

If you score high in agreeableness, you may be:

altruistic
kind to others
empathetic
helpful
caring
compassionate
trustworthy

People with lower scores in this personality trait might be more:

selfish
less likely to help others
stubborn
competitive
manipulative
less compassionate
suspicious

Conscientiousness is a trait that refers to how thoughtful and goal-oriented you are. It’s how in control you are over your impulses and your level of organization and work ethic.

If you score high in conscientiousness, you tend to be:

more optimistic
emotionally stable
unlikely to react in a stressful environment
well-organized
hardworking
detailed-oriented
good at planning
mindful of deadlines
goal-driven

Scoring low in conscientiousness means you may:

be more impulsive
have trouble focusing on your goals
be messy
be less structured
have more difficulty staying organized
prone to lateness
procrastinate

Neuroticism is a personality trait that refers to your emotional stability. As a personality dimension, neuroticism is characterized by unsettling thoughts and feelings of sadness or moodiness.

A high score in neuroticism means that you may:

often feels insecure
get stressed easily
appear irritable or moody to others
worry a lot
experience mood swings or feelings of sadness

People who score low in this personality trait might mean you:

are more optimistic
manage stress easily
don’t worry a lot
are emotionally stable and resilient
are unlikely to react in stressful situations
often feel relaxed

Intellect, imagination, and openness describe your imagination and how creative you are. It refers to your sense of curiosity about the world and your willingness to try new things.

If you score high in this personality trait, you may:

enjoy learning and trying new things
have an active imagination
be more creative
be intellectually curious
think about abstract concepts
enjoy challenges
like to travel
have a wide range of interests

A lower score in openness means you might:

dislike change
be likely to stick to routines
not be imaginative or creative
have more traditional thinking
be more grounded

Personality tests can shed light on the various aspects of your personality and help you get to know yourself better. Though a test can’t fully describe you or define who you are as a person, it can help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses. The tests may even help you discover a new way to approach your problems.

If you’ve discovered that one of your character traits has a negative impact on your life or relationships, you could consider discussing this with a licensed therapist.

A therapist can help you understand your personality and suggest ways to make changes.

"Big Five": what qualities really define our character

April 8, 2022 Likbez Life

One of the few psychological concepts whose personality tests can be trusted.

What is the essence of the "Big Five"

"Big Five" is a model for assessing individual differences in human personality on five indicators. These include extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. These characteristics, to varying degrees, may or may not be inherent in any personality, and they can also be measured. However, they do not affect each other and are not interconnected in any way. nine0003

The first such classifications were developed in ancient times - for example, Hippocrates' theory of temperament. Later, the Carl Jung model, socionics and typology Myers-Briggs (MBTI) appeared.

These concepts have always been very popular, as they have been used by scientists to explain why people behave differently and how it affects their lives. They tried to answer questions about what qualities a leader should have, what makes some people psychologically more stable, or how temperament affects physical health. nine0003

However, today the five-factor model, or the “Big Five”, is still considered to be the most complete and accurate description of human character.

It was created by two groups of American psychologists in the 1970s. They interviewed thousands of people and came to the conclusion that it is possible to determine a person's temperament using the indicators listed above.

To understand how these qualities are developed in each individual, psychologists have developed special tests. They don't have right or wrong answers. The participant is asked to compare his character with the descriptions of the personality or answer how close the presented statements are to him. nine0003

Based on this, it turns out how strongly each of the qualities of the big five is developed in a person. You can take these tests too - here are the short and long questionnaires.

What is included in the "Big Five"

1. Extraversion

In fact, extraversion is not only sociability. This indicator reflects how sociable a person is, cheerful, proactive, independent. Is he able to finish what he started and is he ready for adventure. In general, this characteristic indicates how active an individual lives. nine0003

People with low extraversion tend to be introverted and more inclined to obey authority. They may also have problems with abstract thinking. Those who score high are sociable, assertive and tend to become leaders more often.

At the same time, extroverts and introverts in their pure form practically do not exist. The scores of the vast majority of people on the test will fall somewhere in between these extremes—this is commonly referred to as ambivalence.

2. Openness

This characteristic shows how open a person is to new experiences, and it can also serve as a measure of creativity. People with a low level of openness are usually more committed to traditions, they clearly distinguish between “right” and “wrong” for themselves, they tolerate the routine more easily or even prefer it. Those who are very open, on the contrary, do not accept monotony, are more curious, and they like to invent new ways to solve problems.

3. Goodwill

This sign shows how we treat other people, how much we trust them, how often we show sensitivity and warmth - a kind of measure of good nature. The most benevolent people are more likely to adhere to religious beliefs. They try to avoid conflict and help others. Those who are shy, suspicious, or self-centered tend to score low in this category. nine0003

4. Conscientiousness

This parameter helps to understand how organized a person is. A high level of conscientiousness is observed in those who are motivated, disciplined, productive, responsible. These people love order in everything. They usually plan ahead and take care not to break the promise. Therefore, they are more likely to be trusted. Low scores in this category go to irresponsible and easily distracted individuals.

Also, a study by Finnish psychologists showed that people with low scores in this category have a 14% higher mortality rate. As scientists say, the reason for this is the inability to control oneself and the general irresponsibility. They push a person onto the path of self-destruction. nine0003

5. Neuroticism

This indicator measures a person's emotional stability. A high level of neuroticism is observed in anxious, inhibited, moody or insecure people. They react more strongly to failures and life shocks, often suffer from low self-esteem. Those who score low in this category are calm, satisfied with life, and self-confident.

What are the advantages of the "Big Five"

Reliability and accuracy

The main advantage of the "Big Five" is that it is better than all personality typologies formulated from a methodological point of view. And also confirmed experimentally. nine0003

The researchers emphasize that the characteristics of the "Big Five" are formulated most accurately and clearly, and they can be fixed by repeated tests. Such reliability of results, for example, cannot be achieved using the well-known Myers-Briggs typology (MBTI).

Universality

The "Big Five" demonstrates that attempts to create some kind of classification of human characters or personality types are most likely futile. Especially if in them any trait of temperament can take only one of two positions. nine0003

In addition, the behavior of each individual may differ within one of the characteristics. For example, he can be sociable but not very assertive, although both of these qualities are related to extraversion. Some questionnaires take this into account and break down the characteristics into smaller components.

We also need to understand that sometimes we can consciously and not really change our behavior depending on the circumstances or environment - for example, we communicate differently in different companies. nine0003

Practical benefits

The Big Five can be useful both for ordinary people and for researchers of the human psyche. First, it helps to better understand yourself and characterize your personality. The second is interested in how our temperament can be associated with physical health, financial well-being, social and professional success.

So, psychologists say that there is a strong relationship between what results a person receives on a five-factor scale, and his sense of self. nine0003

For example, we can already say with great certainty that people with high extraversion feel more prosperous. And those who are emotionally less stable are also less productive. True, all these data only show a statistical pattern.

The other side of research within the "Big Five" considers the question of what factors influence the formation of personality. So, Canadian scientists analyzed the test data of several hundred pairs of twins and came to the conclusion that our character is equally shaped by heredity and the environment. nine0003

Also, working with the indicators of the "Big Five" helped to understand how the character of people changes over time. So, with age, we basically become less sociable, less likely to want to change something. But at the same time we become more good-natured and more stable emotionally.

Find out more 👧👩👵🏻

Why do people become more conservative with age

Despite its popularity, the Big Five is not the only measure of character. For example, there is the six-factor model of personality, also known as HEXACO. In it, in addition to the five traits, the parameter of honesty - modesty is added: how much a person is ready to promote his selfish goals.

Some psychologists have criticized the Big Five for not doing enough theory and blindly following the data. There is also evidence that outside of industrialized Western countries, the Big Five questionnaires are less reliable. nine0003

Nevertheless, this concept remains dominant and has been shown to be effective in 56 different cultures. Therefore, the Big Five is a reliable and effective tool for understanding our minds.

The Big Five - a five-factor model of personality and the online 5PFQ test

I like to exercise

I completely agree

Partially agree

Not sure

Partially disagree

Completely disagree

People consider me a sympathetic and friendly person

I completely agree

Partially agree

Not sure

Partially disagree

Completely disagree

I value cleanliness and order in everything and do not allow myself to be sloppy

I completely agree

Partially agree

Not sure

Partially disagree

Completely disagree

Potential troubles and little things in life do not bother me, I am not worried that something might happen

I completely agree

Partially agree

Not sure

Partially disagree

Completely disagree

Often something new makes me irritated rather than interested

I completely agree

Partially agree

Not sure

Partially disagree

Completely disagree nine0003

I am a calm person and do not like to fuss.

Learn more