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The Big Five model refers to five personality dimensions, which define human nature and account for an individual’s behavior and cognition. Note that the study of personality traits is a leading research topic in psychology; with Gordon Allport’s Trait Theory (Allport and Odbert, 1936), Raymond Cattell’s 16 Personality Factors (Raymond Catell, 1957), and Lewis Goldberg’s Five-Factor Model (Goldberg, 1990) defined as major foundations in trait theory.
The Big Five personality traits are categorized as openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism:
Thus, the Big Five personality test is a powerful tool to assess an individual’s personality traits. The test is a computer-based task, implemented into the PEBL (Psychology Experiment Building Language) system.
The Big Five is a valid computerized tool. It includes 50 questions that measure openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, with 10 questions for each trait. Participants are asked to answer a set of questions with regard to their personality characteristics. To set an example, the test includes statements, such as “I worry about things,” “I feel comfortable around people,” “I feel I am better than other people,” “I am interested in the meaning of things” and “I get chores done right away.” Each statement includes a five-point Likert scale, ranging from “Very inaccurate” to “Very accurate.” One question is displayed at a time. Participants are asked to answer truthfully, without skipping questions or going back.
The Big Five Personality Traits and their Relation to Internet Addiction
Kayis et al. (2016) performed a meta-analysis to find a relation between the Big Five personality traits and internet addiction. The research team evaluated 12 studies and found that all five personality traits were closely related to internet addiction. Nevertheless, only neuroticism revealed a positive correlation with internet addiction. Consequently, people high in neuroticism are more likely to develop internet addiction disorders.
The Big Five and People’s Uses of Music
Chamorro-Premuzic & Furham (2007) evaluated the association between the Big Five personality traits and music uses. The sample consisted of 341 participants, 241 women and 100 men, between the ages of 17 and 41. Note that the research team conducted their study in a large theatre hall with invigilators monitoring the participants. Results indicated that introverted, neurotic, and non-conscientious individuals were more likely to use music in an emotional way to alleviate sadness or anxiety. In contrast, those high in traits, such as openness, used music in a cognitive and rational way.
The Relation between the Big Five Personality Traits and Work Involvement
Bozionelos (2004) studied the relationship between the Big Five of personality and work involvement. The sample (n=279) consisted of white-collar workers employed in a full-time capacity. Data analyses indicated a weak relation between work involvement and the Big Five of personality. Interestingly, agreeableness and work involvement was negatively related; individuals with high agreeableness scores expressed lower work involvement.
Assessing the Relationship between Facebook Usage and the Big Five Personality Traits
Ryan & Xenos (2011) studied the influence of the Big Five personality traits on social media usage and Facebook, in particular. The sample consisted of 1324 participants (1158 Facebook users and 166 non-users), between the ages of 18 and 44. The study team found that people high in extraversion were more likely to be Facebook users, whereas those high in conscientiousness were more likely to be social media non-users.
The Link between the Big Five Personality Traits and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms
Nigg et al. (2002) examined the Big Five personality traits in adulthood and Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) symptoms recalled from childhood. The sample consisted of a total of 1620 participants from six different pools; Michigan undergraduates, Denver undergraduates, Michigan parents, Denver parents, Bay Area parents, and Michigan young adults with AD/HD. Self-reports and spousal reports were also collected. Results indicated that AD/HD symptoms were related to three of the Big Five dimensions: low agreeableness, low conscientiousness, and high neuroticism.
The Big Five personality trait test includes 50 questions based on a five-point Likert scale. A test is a prominent tool, with numerous benefits across various settings and populations.
Interestingly, Alansari (2016) found a significant difference between males (n=305) and females (n=380) in Kuwait. While males scored high on extraversion and conscientiousness scores, females scored high on neuroticism on the Arabic version of the Big Five Inventory.
The Big Five is a popular instrument globally, with numerous revised versions.
Yet, evidence shows that when it comes to cross-cultural translation, validity and reliability tests should also be performed due to cultural differences. To set an example, Hee (2014) recruited 343 nurses and examined the validity and reliability of the Big Five scale in Malaysia. Although pilot results revealed high internal reliability, the team extracted only four factors (extraversion, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience), ranging from 0.573 to 0.803.
Convergent validity: Short versions, such as the Big Five Inventory-10, correlate well with measures for subjective well-being, affect, satisfaction, and happiness (Balgiu, 2018).
Internal consistency: The test is highly reliable. The Arabic version of the Big Five Inventory, for instance, reveals high internal consistency for neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness; with Cronbach’s alpha = 0.83, 0.82, 0.79, 0.82, 0.90, respectively, for males, and Cronbach’s alpha = 0.74, 0.83, 0.85, 0.81, 0.92 for females.
Strengths
The Big Five personality test is a powerful tool used to assess an individual’s personality. As the broad dimensions of the Big Five encompass numerous personality traits, the test has several applications in personality psychology, addiction, and business. In addition, the Big Five personality test is an easy-to-perform task, with a five-point Likert scale.
Limitations
The biggest limitation of the Big Five personality test is its subjective nature which can lead to social desirability bias. Thus, the test can be used in combination with other measurements.
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