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Big 5 Personality Traits Assessment and Reflection Paper
- Course
- PSYC 101
- Institution
- Boise State University
Big 5 Personality Traits Assessment and Reflection Paper
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Abbott 1Tori Abbott
PSYC 101-4002: Introduction to Psychology
Dr. Crista Moore Murray
23 October 2024
Big 5 Personality Traits Assessment and Reflection Paper
I recently completed the Big Five Personality Traits Assessment, using my boyfriend as a
comparison point for the results. The experience was a little surprising, particularly in how the
comparison between our personalities highlighted aspects of myself that I may not have fully
recognized. According to the assessment, I scored higher in open-mindedness, lower in
conscientiousness, the same in extraversion, lower in agreeableness, and higher in negative
emotionality. While these results generally aligned with my self-perception, I also recognize the
potential for bias in my responses.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the results was in the area of negative emotionality.
The test showed that I scored higher in this category compared to my boyfriend, which initially
felt surprising given how we both experience and manage anxiety. However, it’s important to
note that negative emotionality encompasses more than just anxiousness – it can also refer to a
tendency toward mood swings, irritability, or general emotional instability. My boyfriend tends
to experience anxiety in a steady, prolonged manner, whereas mine is more situational and
intense, flaring up in bursts. Despite these differences, the test seemed to simplify emotional
instability into a singular measure, which might explain the higher score in my case. This
limitation of the assessment became apparent, as it doesn’t account for the different ways that
negative emotions can manifest in different individuals.
, Abbott 2
I also found the comparison with my boyfriend's results interesting because it forced me
to confront how I view both him and myself. My lower score in conscientiousness was somewhat
surprising, but upon reflection, it makes sense. I tend to be less detail-oriented and structured
than he is, which aligns with the lower score in conscientiousness. Our equal score in
extraversion felt accurate, as we both share a balanced approach to social interactions. I was also
aware of potential biases when assessing myself in relation to someone I care about. I tend to
view him very positively, and that likely influenced how I perceived my own traits, which could
have skewed the results.
The process of assessing myself alongside someone I’m close to was uncomfortable at
times, as I generally avoid comparing myself to others in everyday life. I believe that such
comparisons, especially in relationships, can lead to unhealthy dynamics. The results did not
upset me; in fact, they were largely in line with what I already knew about myself. The
assessment didn’t reveal anything entirely new, but it did provide a structured way of thinking
about my personality traits. What I found most interesting was how it highlighted the complexity
of traits like negative emotionality, which does not include more than just anxiety and avoids
other negative emotions such as irritability or mood swings with ourselves.
While the assessment was a useful tool for self-reflection, I recognize that it’s not without
its limitations. The broad categories used in the test don’t always capture the nuances of
individual experiences, and the potential for bias – whether conscious or not – is always present.
That said, it would be interesting to see how my boyfriend’s results would compare if he took the
test independently, without my involvement in the process. This experience made me more
aware of the ways in which personal relationships can influence self-perception, and it reminded
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