Personality Traits - Meaning and Different Types of Traits (2024)

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An individual’s behavior towards others, attitude, characteristics, mindset make his personality.

Personality development is defined as a process of enhancing one’s personality. Personality development sessions guide an individual as to how he/she can develop his/her personality.

Personality Traits

Broadly there are five parameters which describe an individual’s personality. These five dimensions are also called as “Big Five” Factors, and the model is referred to as Five Factor Model also abbreviated as FFM.

The Five Factor Model was initially proposed by Costa & McCrae in the year 1992 and often describes the relation between an individual’s personality and various behaviours.

Following are five personality traits of an individual:

  1. Openness to experience

    Individuals with openness to experience are generally very active, have a tremendous inclination towards creativity and aesthetics and listen to their heart i.e. follow their inner feelings. Such individuals are generally open to new learnings, skill sets and experiences.

    People who score high on openness are quite broadminded and modern in their outlook as compared to individuals who score low on the same parameter. Such individuals are conservative, reluctant to changes and have a traditional approach in life.

  2. Conscientiousness

    As the name suggests, individuals with a Conscientiousness personality trait listen to their conscience and act accordingly. Such individuals are extremely cautious and self disciplined. They never perform any task in haste but think twice before acting.

    People with this personality trait are generally methodical and tend to become perfectionists in the long run.

    People who score high on conscientiousness are proactive, goal oriented and self disciplined. They strive hard to accomplish goals and objectives within the stipulated time frame. Individuals who score less are little laid back and are not much goal oriented.

  3. Extraversion and Introversion

    Carl Jung popularized both the terms - “Extraversion” and “Introversion”.

    1. Extraversion: Extraversion refers to a state where individuals show more concern towards what is happening outside.

      Such individuals love interacting with people around and are generally talkative. They do not like spending time alone but love being the centre of attraction of parties and social gatherings.

      Such individuals love going out, partying, meeting people and often get bored when they are all by themselves. They admire the company of others and hate staying alone.

    2. Introversion: Introversion, on the other hand refers to a state when an individual is concerned only with his own life and nothing else.

      Such individuals do not bother about others and are seldom interested in what is happening around. They prefer staying back at home rather than going out and spending time with friends.

      Such individuals speak less and enjoy their own company. You would never find them in meetings, clubs, parties or social get-togethers. They generally do not have many friends and tend to rely on few trusted ones.

  4. Agreeableness

    Agreeableness is a personality trait which teaches individuals to be adjusting in almost all situations.

    Such individuals do not crib and face changes with a smile. They accommodate themselves to all situations and are friendly and kind hearted. People who score high on agreeableness are ready to help others and flash their trillion dollar smile whenever a problem arises.

    Individuals who score low on agreeableness on the other hand find difficulties in adjusting with others and are little unfriendly.

  5. Neuroticism

    Neuroticism is a trait where individuals are prone to negative thoughts such as anxiety, anger, envy, guilt and so on.

    Such individuals are often in a state of depression and do not know how to enjoy life. They always look at the negative sides of life and find extremely difficult to cope up with stress.


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Personality Traits - Meaning and Different Types of Traits (2)The article is Written By “Prachi Juneja” and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.



Personality Traits - Meaning and Different Types of Traits (2024)

FAQs

What is the meaning of types and traits of personality? ›

It is a combination of both nature and nurture and is shaped by a person's environment, experiences, genetics, and socialization. Common personality traits include being extroverted, open to experiences, conscientious, agreeable, and emotionally stable.

What are the 5 personality traits and their meaning? ›

Extraversion is sociability, agreeableness is kindness, openness is creativity and intrigue, conscientiousness is thoughtfulness, and neuroticism often involves sadness or emotional instability.

What are personality traits? ›

Personality traits reflect people's characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. Personality traits imply consistency and stability—someone who scores high on a specific trait like Extraversion is expected to be sociable in different situations and over time.

How would you describe your traits and personality? ›

Sample answers: I am a hard-working and driven individual who isn't afraid to face a challenge. I'm passionate about my work and I know how to get the job done. I would describe myself as an open and honest person who doesn't believe in misleading other people and tries to be fair in everything I do.

What are the different types of traits? ›

The five major personality traits are openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Employers care about personality traits because they may help anticipate how an employee will interact with others in the workplace.

How to identify personality types? ›

The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator is a self-report inventory designed to identify a person's personality type, strengths, and preferences. The questionnaire was developed by Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs based on their work with Carl Jung's theory of personality types.

What are the 5 main personality traits? ›

The Big Five Personality Traits, also known as OCEAN or CANOE, are a psychological model that describes five broad dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. These traits are believed to be relatively stable throughout an individual's lifetime.

What are the four types of personality? ›

4 basic temperaments

The origin of the four personality types goes back to more than two thousand years. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates termed the types of personality after body fluids: choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic and sanguine.

What are the 16 personalities traits? ›

Socionics is extraversion (E), sensing (S), thinking (T), judgment (J), introversion (I), intuition (N), feeling (F), and perception (P). Socionics divides people into 16 different types, called sociotypes which are; ESTJ, ENTJ, ESFJ, ENFJ, ISTJ, ISFJ, INTJ, INFJ, ESTP, ESFP, ENTP, ENFP, ISTP, ISFP, INTP & INFP.

What are 3 types of traits? ›

Allport created the Gordon Allport Personality Theory. He organized the characteristics that make up an individual's personality into three main categories: cardinal traits, central traits, and secondary traits.

What are good traits? ›

Trustworthiness, including honesty, reliability, punctuality, and loyalty. Integrity. Respect and courtesy. Responsibility, including accountability, diligence, perseverance, self-management skills, and self-control.

What is a trait easy definition? ›

A trait is a particular characteristic, quality, or tendency that someone or something has.

What are the six virtues and 24 strengths? ›

The 24 character strengths are organized under the six virtues of: wisdom and knowledge; humanity; justice; courage; temperance; and transcendence. Wisdom and Knowledge – Strengths of wisdom and knowledge are cognitive strengths related to the acquisition and use of information.

What is a strong trait? ›

People with strong character: show compassion, are honest and fair, display self-discipline in setting and meeting goals, make good judgments, show respect to others, show courage in standing up for beliefs, have a strong sense of responsibility, are good citizens who are concerned for their community, maintain self- ...

What is personality in 300 words? ›

Personality embraces moods, attitudes, and opinions and is most clearly expressed in interactions with other people. It includes behavioral characteristics, both inherent and acquired, that distinguish one person from another and that can be observed in people's relations to the environment and to the social group.

What are the three types of personality traits? ›

Eysenck: 3 Traits
  • Extraversion/introversion: Refers to a person's tendency to turn their attention outward or inward.
  • Emotional stability/emotional instability: Refers to a person's tendency to be either more even-tempered or moody.
  • Psychoticism: Related to a person's tendency to be psychotic or sociopathic5.
Oct 26, 2023

What are the two main types of personality traits? ›

Type A and type B are two main personality categories. People with type A personalities may be ambitious, aggressive, and competitive. People with type B personalities may be laid-back, flexible, and patient. Personality refers to the pattern of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors that make each individual who they are.

What are the three types of traits? ›

Allport created the Gordon Allport Personality Theory. He organized the characteristics that make up an individual's personality into three main categories: cardinal traits, central traits, and secondary traits.

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