http://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/ocean-personality
The five traits measured in "The Big 5 Personality Test," also called the OCEAN model, are openness to experience, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Using the OCEAN personality traits model can help companies improve communication and make smarter hiring decisions and allow you to highlight your positive traits throughout the hiring process. Understanding this framework can help you express yourself clearly, connect with your colleagues and ensure your behavior is appropriate for your workplace or other settings.In this article, we explain what the OCEAN personality model is, the five different types of OCEAN personality traits and the factors that influence these traits.Key takeaways:
“OCEAN” is an acronym used to represent the Big Five personality traits, which include openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.
The OCEAN personality traits tend to stay relatively stable throughout an individual's life and can be a useful way to better understand people's behaviors and actions.
When you are aware of your personality type
, it allows you to articulate your needs, relate to others, and regulate your behavior.
1. Openness to experience
Openness to experience represents how a willingness to try new things and the ability to engage in abstract and complex ideas. It's also described as the depth and complexity of an individual's mental life and people may refer to it as intellect or imagination. When analyzing this personality trait, some people may be very inventive, curious and willing to try new experiences while others may be more consistent and cautious. Common traits related to a high openness to experience value include:
Insightfulness
Imagination
Varied interests
Curiosity
Intellect
Perceptiveness
Willingness to try new things
Drive for exploration
An individual who scores high in the openness to experience factor is likely someone who loves to learn, enjoys the arts and likes meeting new people. A person who scores low in this factor prefers routine and tradition and likes to focus on factual or logical ideas. They may enjoy accounting since it's a field involving numbers and rules that are relatively clear to follow.Related: What Is Intellectual Curiosity? Definition and Importance
2. Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness refers to an individual's desire to be careful and diligent. People who have a strong conscientiousness personality trait are often self-disciplined so they can achieve clear long-term goals. Those with high conscientiousness may choose to endure short-term challenges to achieve long-term gains. Some characteristics that this category measures include consistency, reliability and ambition.Common traits related to conscientiousness include:
Self-discipline
Consistency
Dependability
Persistence
Planning
Ambition
Control
Resourcefulness
People who score high in conscientiousness prefer to have a clear and detailed plan. When working with a team of people, conflict can arise if the team is led by someone who doesn't articulate a clear plan. In this situation, a person with high conscientiousness can demonstrate leadership by providing organization to the team and creating an action plan. This is an important trait in an organizational leader since employees typically prefer to follow someone with a definitive plan for the future. Those who score low in conscientiousness tend to procrastinate and be more impulsive.Related: 11 Qualities of Highly Admired People
3. Extroversion
Individuals who feel energized after social interactions may score high in this personality trait, while individuals who recharge by spending time alone may have a low score on the extroversion scale. Some characteristics that the extroversion category measures include how energetic and outgoing a person is. People who score high in extroversion may enjoy social events and gatherings and seek out opportunities to meet new people. Common traits related to extroversion include:
Social confidence
Talkativeness
Energy
Outgoing nature
Assertiveness
Ability to articulate
Tendency for affection
Friendliness
People high in extroversion process their ideas externally, which shows up as talkativeness. Whereas, people low on extroversion will process internally and be very intentional about the words they speak, revealing their thoughts only when they're clear and well-considered. In both instances, it's very important for individuals to be aware of their own level of extroversion and seek out the opinions of others who are less extroverted when in professional and social settings.Related: Introversion vs. Extroversion: Definitions and 7 Differences
4. Agreeableness
The fourth personality trait in the OCEAN model is agreeableness, which refers to how an individual interacts with others, specifically how they consider the needs of others in relation to their own. Agreeable people generally have high levels of empathy and can consider others' perspectives and make decisions to take care of others. People low in agreeableness tend to make decisions based on their own needs without much consideration for the impact they have on those around them. Common traits related to agreeableness include:
Altruism
Politeness
Kindness
Consideration
Selflessness
Patience
Humbleness
Trust
Individuals who score high in the agreeableness personality trait are generally well-liked and tend to follow the rules. Those who score low in this area tend to have strong opinions and may frequently challenge social norms and ideas. It's important to note that agreeableness doesn't indicate that someone is weak-willed. Someone can be very agreeable with regards to giving people the space to share their opinions and ideas, while also compassionately communicating why they will not align with or agree to the other person's perspective.Related: 10 Tips for How To Get Along With Coworkers
5. Neuroticism
The fifth and final personality trait in the OCEAN model is neuroticism, which is the expression of negative or fear-based emotions. People who are low in self-regulation are high in neuroticism. This category is used to identify personality traits that may be challenging in the workplace. People who have powerful emotional reactions may score high in this area.Common traits related to neuroticism include:
Awkwardness
Anxiety
Wariness
Jealousy
Pessimism
Instability
Insecurity
Fearfulness
Individuals who score high in the neuroticism personality trait may have a challenging time managing their emotions when under stress, including in social situations or during professional meetings. Individuals who score low in the neuroticism personality trait often have lower stress levels, are typically more adaptable and tend to be more sure of themselves and their decisions.
| 