After many years of research, psychologists have come to the understanding that there are five key clusters of characteristics that somewhat summarize the way that people’s personalities can be understood. These five clusters of characteristics can also be thought of as 5 continuums of traits that people possess from one extreme of its spectrum to the opposite extreme. There seems to be little overlap among these five areas, and using them in combination can be quite helpful in shedding light on the person’s crucial characteristics. The 5 clusters of traits are summarized in the acronym “OCEAN.” This word stands for these 5 trait continuums, which are as follows: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. Let me explain each one.
Openness is the extent to which a person is able to expand his or her fields of experience. This can include one’s openness to understanding oneself and exploring one’s thoughts and feelings. It also encompasses one’s curiosity for new things and venturing out to explore them. Such persons attempt to find appreciation in various activities and experiences, and seldom limit themselves. On the opposite end of this continuum are those who are wary and cautious of exploring beyond what might be familiar. Those who are on this side of the openness continuum are rather conservative and live quite restricted lives.
Conscientiousness includes self-discipline, orderliness and efficiency on one end of the continuum. These people are dutiful and can be relied upon to do the right thing most, if not all, the time. They are high achievers and prefer to plan ahead. On the other end of this continuum are people who prefer to be more spontaneous and less contrived. They are free spirited, and like to live “on the edge.” They never plan and are not particular with the way they organize their things and their day-to-day lives.
Extraversion is the external orientation that one person has on one end of the continuum. They are full of energy and typically display positive and cheerful dispositions. They are energized in the company of others and desire constant stimulation. They also thrive in social situations. The opposite end of this spectrum is people who are more shy and reserved. These are people who prefer quiet and are often self-satisfied.
Those who are said to be agreeable are easy to get along with. They are people-centered, friendly, and tend to be cooperative. They are rather compassionate and considerate of others. On the other end of this continuum are people who tend to be suspicious and wary. They can also be quite irritable and antagonistic.
The last of the five is neuroticism. Those who are said to be high on this set of traits are prone to experience negative emotions rather easily. They are sensitive to the slights of others and get hurt easily. They might find themselves feeling sad and helpless every so often, or even angry and anxious at other times. They are quite vulnerable to such negative experiences. Those who are on the opposite side of this continuum are more confident and self-assured. They are generally happy about themselves and easily adjust to the day-to-day hassles that they experience.
It is important to note that these five sets of personality characteristics are seen within the context of a continuum. Many of us often possess some degree of traits from either end of the spectrum, frequently leaning towards one side but rarely going on an extreme.
Now, I would like to invite you to draw 5 lines representing the 5 trait continuums. You can even put a value of -10 on one end and +10 on the other end. After doing this, you might want to think about the friend you thought about at the beginning of this article. Rate him or her along the 5 lines you drew. Does this help you understand him or her better? I should hope so. You might also want to try doing the same for yourself.
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