Five Factor Model of Personality

The five factor model of personality is the result of decades of psychological theory and research and its underlying constructs have been validated and replicated across many large-scale studies. The model describes individual personality in terms of ones' standing on dimensions of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

As a scientific instrument, the model has proven to be exceptionally useful, in part because there are personality assessment tools that can quickly measure individual standing on each of the factors. These factors have been measured across millions of people, across many cultures, and found to be associated with many important outcomes. As the model continues to be validated and replicated, it also becomes more useful as a tool for people to learn more about themselves. For example, it can help develop our sense of self and others relative to the broader community as well as link us to important findings about how our underlying personality is related to important social outcomes.

Five Factors

Five Factors Infographic