report of psycho

8/14/2019 Report of Psycho

1/19

INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENTPSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH WORK

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to thank ALLAH Almighty to bless us with the ability and strength to

conduct this research work.

The projects that the students are made to work at in IoBM have always been a source to

gain insight into the practical applications of what is taught throughout the academic

course. This is one of those projects because it helped us understand the application of

the concepts that we study in our psychology subject.

This project has only been possible under the guidance of our instructor Maam NADIAAYUB. Without her guidance this research work would not have been possible.

We owe thanks to our seniors or class fellows at IoBM who have helped us in conducting

the survey for this research project.

TABLE OF CONTENTS1


2/19


S.NO CONTENT PageNo(s)

01. EXECUTIVESUMMARY302. INTRODUCTION4-603. METHODOLOGY7 A. SAMPLE B. MEASURE

C. PROCEDURE D. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS04. RESULTS8-905. DISCUSSION10-1506. CONCLUSION16-1707. REFERENCES

1808. APPENDIX A. APPENDIX A (QUESTIONNAIRE)19 B. APPENDIX B (GRAPHS)20

2


3/19


Executive Summary

This research work is based on the assessment of knowledge of Birth Order andPersonality Type. Purpose of this study is to know that how birth order affectsindividuals personality and how a child is treated by parents and other siblingsand how that child feels about it. In order to carry out this research work, weused the Survey method which included the data collection with the help ofquestionnaires and then its evaluation. The data was collected from thegraduating students of IoBM, including all freshmen, sophomores, juniors andseniors, aged between (17-23) years. Among them, 33 (55%) were the malecandidates and 27(45%) were the female candidates. With the sample of 60people, 20 (33.33%) fell in the category of eldest child, 22(33.33%) were in themiddle, 16(26.66%) were the youngest and 2(3.33%) were the only child in their

family. The questionnaire consisted of 16 questions to evaluate two personalitytypes i.e.; Extroversion and Neuroticism. The obtained results showed that thecandidates who fall in the category of only child, eldest child and youngest childin their family are more extroverted as compared to those who are in the middle,which suffer from Neuroticism. From these findings, it is concluded that the birthorder has significant effect on the childs growth and personality.

Introduction

Birth order is defined as a persons rank by age among his or her siblings. AlfredAlder (1870-1937) was a pioneer in the study of birth order. His research

3


4/19


suggested that the position a child had by the order of birth significantly affectedthe childs growth and personality. Research in the late twentieth century andearly twenty-first century shows even greater influence contributing tointelligence, career choice, and to a certain degree, success in adulthood.

Being born first, last, or somewhere, in the middle of itself is not significance.What matters is how that birth order affects and how a child is treated by parentsand others siblings and how that child feels about it. Other factors also influencechilds socialization and the parents expectations. According to Alfred Alderresearch:

First born children have been found to be responsible, assertive, task oriented,perfectionist and support of the authority. Studies have also linked first bornchildren with higher academic achievement and possibly higher intelligencescore when compare to later born children. This may be due to more exposure toadult language and greater interaction with parents.

Second born and middle children often report feelings inferior to older childrenbecause they do not possess advance abilities like their siblings. Sometimes,they are very competitive with their first born sibling because they have had theirelder sibling example to follow.

Last born children are generally considered to be the family baby throughouttheir lives. Because of nurturing from many older family members and theexamples of their siblings, last born from large families tend to develop strongsocial and coping skills and may even be able to reach some milestones. As agroup, they have been found to be the most successful socially and to have thehighest self esteem of all the birth position.

Only children may demonstrate characteristics of first born and last born. Onlychildren are achievement-oriented and most likely to attain academic successand attend college. They may also be creative.

Personality is defined as the pattern of feelings, thought, and activities thatdistinguish one person from another. Personality researchers Smith, Goldberg,McCrae and Costa have purpose that there are five basic dimensions ofpersonality traits.

1- Extra version: This trait includes characteristics such as excitability,

sociality, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional

expressiveness.

2- Agreeableness: This personality dimension include attribute such as trust,

Altruism, kindness, affection, another prosaically behaviors.3- Conscientiousness: Common feature of this dimension include high level of

thoughtfulness with good impulse control and goal-directed behavior.4


5/19


4- Neuroticism: Individuals high in this trait tend to experience emotional

instability, anxiety, moodiness, irribility, and sadness.

5- Openess: This trait features characteristics such as imagination and insight,

and those in this trait also trend have a broad range of interest.

Your Big Five Personality Traits affect your health, relationships, goals,

achievements, professional success, and even your spiritual life. Your whole life is

affected both positively and negatively by your Big Five Personality Traits!

Purpose of this study is to know that how birth order affects two out of these big

five personality traits i.e. Extroversion and Neuroticism.

The suggestion has often been made that individuals differ by the order of their

births. Frank J. Sulloway argues that birth order is correlated with personality

traits. He claims that firstborns are more conscientious, more socially dominant,less agreeable, and less open to new ideas compared to laterborns.

However, Sulloways case has been called into question. One criticism is that his

data confound family size with birth order. Subsequent analyses have shown that

birth order effects are only found in studies where the subjects personality traits

are rated by family members (such as siblings or parents) or by acquaintances

familiar with the subjects birth order. Large scale studies using random samples

and self-report personality tests like the NEO PI-R have found no significant effect

of birth order on personality.

Extraversion is characterized by positive emotions, urgency, and the tendency

to seek out stimulation and the company of others. The trait is marked by

pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy being withpeople, and are often perceived as full of energy. They tend to be enthusiastic,

action-oriented individuals who are likely to say "Yes!" or "Let's go!" to

opportunities for excitement. In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and

draw attention to themselves.

Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger,

anxiety, or depression. It is sometimes called emotional instability. Those who

score high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive and vulnerable to stress. Theyare more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor

5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_orderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEO_PI-Rhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEO_PI-Rhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_order


6/19


frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to

persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are often in a bad

mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish the ability of a

person scoring high on neuroticism to think clearly, make decisions, and cope

effectively with stress.

At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in neuroticism are less

easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally

stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Freedom from negative

feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings.

Frequency of positive emotions is a component of the Extraversion domain.

Methodology

Sample:

The survey was conducted on the sample of 60 people, including 33 malecandidates and 27 female candidates falling in the age group of 17-21 years andhaving the under graduating educational level inside IoBM.

Measure:

A questionnaire for this survey consisted of 16 characteristics based on self-analysis of ones own personality as how one views his/her own self. Thecandidates were required to circle their responses to indicate the extent to whichthey agree or disagree with that statement.

Procedure:

6


7/19


The research included the formulation of questionnaire for the assessment ofknowledge of Birth Order and Personality types and then its distribution amongthe sample to obtain their responses. A consent form was also attached witheach questionnaire to make the candidates aware of the purpose of this research

study and provide necessary background information as well as making themsure that the information they provide will remain confidentially. The obtaineddata was then analyzed.

Statistical Analysis:

The obtained results showed that out of 60 people, 63.33% (i.e. 3.33% only child,26.66% youngest and 33.33% eldest) were more extroverted and the remaining26.66% (36.67%, who are in the middle) suffered from Neuroticism.

Demographic Information

Table 1:It illustrates the demographics of the people (in percentage) on which researchwas conducted.

Birth Order7

AGE GENDER EDUCATION

17-19 20-23 Male Female

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior Senior

63.33% 36.67% 55% 45% 53.33% 23.33% 10% 13.33%


8/19


Table 2:It represents the position and no. of male and female siblings (in percentage) ofthe selected sample.

MALE SIBLINGS FEMALE SIBLINGS POSITION0=16.67% 0=21.67% Oldest child=33.33%1=48.33% 1=46.67% In the middle

child=36.67%2=13.33% 2=20% Youngest child=26.66%3=13.33% 3=10% Only child=3.33%4=3.33% 4=1.66%

Result

The table given below is the evaluation of the personality type and shows theresponses of the candidates (in percentage) as how they view themselves.

8


9/19


Discussion

Sir Francis Galton was the first scientist to recognize what is now known as theLexical Hypothesis. This is the idea that the most salient and socially relevant

9

Q.No

Items Disagreestrongly

Disagree alittle

Neutral Agreea little

AgreeStrongly

1 Is talkative 5% 16.36% 21.36% 28.33

%

28.33%

2 Is emotionally stable, noteasily upset

5% 20% 30% 28.33%

16.66%

3 Is depressed, blue 28.33% 25% 35% 11.67%

0%

4 Has an assertivepersonality

3.33% 10% 36.66% 36.66%

13.33%

5 Is reserved 11.66% 18.33% 33.33% 23.33%

13.33%

6 Can be moody 1.66% 15% 21.67% 26.66%

35%

7 Is relaxed, handles stresswell

6.66% 16.67% 31.66% 28.33%

16.66%

8 Is someone shy, inhibited 16.66% 23.33% 26.66% 26.67%

6.66%

9 Is full of energy 1.66% 6.66% 16.67% 48.33%

26.66%

10 Remains calm in tense 3.33% 23.33% 30% 26.67%

16.67%

11 Is outgoing, social able 3.33% 13.33% 21.66% 28.33%

33.33%

12 Can be tense 10% 15% 30% 36.66%

8.33%

13 Generates a lot of enthusiasm

0% 13.33% 26.6% 45% 15%

14 Gets nervous easily 11.66% 26.67% 23.33% 23.67%

15%

15 Worries a lot 13.33% 20% 23.33% 21.66%

21.67%

16 Tends to be quiet 15% 21.67% 33.33% 20% 10%
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Francis_Galtonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Francis_Galton


10/19


personality differences in peoples lives will eventually become encoded intolanguage. The hypothesis further suggests that by sampling language, it ispossible to derive a comprehensive taxonomy of human personality traits.

In 1936, Gordon Allport and H. S. Odbert put this hypothesis into practice.[31] Theyworked through two of the most comprehensive dictionaries of the English

language available at the time and extracted 17,953 personality-describingwords. They then reduced this gigantic list to 4,504 adjectives which theybelieved were descriptive of observable and relatively permanent traits.

Raymond Cattell obtained the Allport-Odbert list in the 1940s; added termsobtained from psychological research, and then eliminated synonyms to reducethe total to 171.[32] He then asked subjects to rate people whom they knew by theadjectives on the list and analyzed their ratings. Cattell identified 35 majorclusters of personality traits which he referred to as the "personality sphere." Heand his associates then constructed personality tests for these traits. The datathey obtained from these tests were analyzed with the emerging technology of

computers combined with the statistical method offactor analysis. This resultedin sixteen major personality factors, which led to the development of the 16PFPersonality Questionnaire.

In 1961, two Air Force researchers, Ernest Tupes and Raymond Christal analyzedpersonality data from eight large samples. Using Cattell's trait measures, theyfound five recurring factors.[33] This work was replicated by Warren Norman, whoalso found that five major factors were sufficient to account for a large set ofpersonality data. Norman named these factors Surgency, Agreeableness,Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, and Culture.Raymond Cattell viewedthese developments as an attack on his 16PF model and never agreed with the

growing Five Factor consensus. He refers to "...the five factor heresy" which heconsiders "...is partly directed against the 16PF test". Responding to Goldberg'sarticle in the American Psychologist, 'The Structure of Phenotypic PersonalityTraits', Cattell stated, "No experienced factors could agree with Dr Goldberg'senthusiasm for the five factor personality theory". This determined rejection ofthe FFM challenge to his 16 factor model is presented in an article publishedtowards the end of his life and entitled 'The fallacy of five factors in thepersonality sphere', Cattell, R. B. (1995), The Psychologist, The BritishPsychological Society, May Issue pp 207208.

For the next two decades, the changing zeitgeist made publication of personalityresearch difficult. In his 1968 book Personality and Assessment, Walter Mischelasserted that personality tests could not predict behavior with a correlation ofmore than 0.3. Social psychologists like Mischel argued that attitudes andbehavior were not stable, but varied with the situation. Predicting behavior bypersonality tests was considered to be impossible. Radical situationists in the1970s went so far as to argue that personality is merely a perceived constructthat people impose on others in order to maintain an illusion of consistency in theworld.

Emerging methodologies challenged this point of view during the 1980s. Insteadof trying to predict single instances of behavior, which was unreliable,researchers found that they could predict patterns of behavior by aggregating

10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Allporthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Cattellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_testhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factor_analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_Personality_Factorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_Personality_Factorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mischelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_psychology_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situationism_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Allporthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Cattellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_testhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factor_analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_Personality_Factorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16_Personality_Factorshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeitgeisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Mischelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_psychology_(psychology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Situationism_(psychology)


11/19


large numbers of observations. As a result correlations between personalityand behavior increased substantially, and it was clear that personality did infact exist. Personality and social psychologists now generally agree that bothpersonal and situational variables are needed to account for human behavior.Trait theories became justified, and there was a resurgence of interest in this

area.By 1980, the pioneering research by Tupes, Christal, and Norman had beenlargely forgotten by psychologists. Lewis Goldberg started his own lexical project,independently found the five factors once again, and gradually brought themback to the attention of psychologists.[35] He later coined the term "Big Five" as alabel for the factors. In a 1981

symposium in Honolulu, four prominent researchers, Lewis Goldberg, NaomiTakemoto-Chock, Andrew Comrey, and John M. Digman, reviewed the available

personality tests of the day. They concluded that the tests which held the mostpromise measured a subset of five common factors, just as Norman haddiscovered in 1963. This event was followed by widespread acceptance of thefive factor model among personality researchers during the 1980s. In 1984 PeterSaville and his team included the five-factor Pentagon model with the originalOPQ. Pentagon was closely followed by the NEO five-factor personality inventory,published by Costa and McCrae in 1985.

One of the most significant advances of the five-factor model was theestablishment of a common taxonomy that demonstrates order in a previouslyscattered and disorganized field. What separates the five-factor model of

personality from all others is that it is not based on the theory of any oneparticular psychologist, but rather on language, the natural system that peopleuse to communicate their understanding of one another.

A number ofmeta-analyses have confirmed the predictive value of the Big Fiveacross a wide range of behaviors. Saulsman and Page examined the relationshipsbetween the Big Five personality dimensions and each of the 10 personalitydisorder categories in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-IV). Across 15 independent samples, the researchers found that eachdisorder displayed a unique and predictable five-factor profile. The mostprominent and consistent personality predictors underlying the

disorders were positive associations with Neuroticism and negative associationswith Agreeableness.[36]

In the area of job performance, Barrick and Mount reviewed 117 studies utilizing162 samples with 23,994 participants. They found that conscientiousness showedconsistent relations with all performance criteria for all occupational groups.Extraversion was a valid predictor for occupations involving socialinteraction (e.g. management and sales). Furthermore, extraversionand openness to experience were valid predictors of training proficiencycriteria.

11
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoluluhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Goldberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Takemoto-Chockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Takemoto-Chockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Saville_(psychologist)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Saville_(psychologist)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPQhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEO_PI-Rhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honoluluhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Goldberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Takemoto-Chockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naomi_Takemoto-Chockhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Saville_(psychologist)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Saville_(psychologist)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPQhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEO_PI-Rhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysishttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorderhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_disorder


12/19


Birth order theory and research indicate that there is a greater probability that:First born children will support the status quo as represented by their parents andrelative to later born siblings, and tend to be more extroverted i.e. confident,assertive, authoritarian, dominant, inflexible, conformist, politically conservative,task-oriented, conscientious and disciplined, concerned about and fearful of

losing position and rank defensive about errors and mistakes.

Evolutionary Theory

Siblings compete for emotional, physical and intellectual resources from parents.Depending on sibling position, different niches are available, leading to differentpatterns of adaptation and different personalities.Childhood adaptation to a niche in the family is an important determinant ofadult personality and therefore, is an important predictor of thought and behaviorin the workplace.

Famous First Born:Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft:Ballmer is the hard--driving operational manager who hasimplemented much of Bill Gate's vision.Described variously as ebullient, focused, funny,passionate, sincere, and dynamic.Damaged his vocal chords by cheering too loudlyat a Microsoft sales meeting a meeting. Steves sister, a social worker in the Seattle area is twoyears younger.

Andrea Jung, CEO of Avon:"I was raised in a traditional, humble Asian environment". There was focus onachievement and education".

"Power is the privilege to influence," Jung says. "It's "an unbelievableresponsibility to influence decisions, shareholder value, and most important tome, people's careers and livelihoods.Her brother, three years younger, runs a San Francisco software developmentcompany.

12


13/19


Only children are often similar to first born children, and tend to be:Motivated to conform to parental expectations, achievement oriented and goodstudents, more inclined to do work themselves rather than to delegate.Age gaps between siblings of more than 6 years lead each sibling to have onlychild attributes.

Famous only child:Jack Welch, Former CEO of, General Electric:Welch was able to make the tough decisions necessary to build GE into asuccessful, boundary less innovator.A highly disciplined worker, Welch has said despite not being the smartest, I didhave the focus to get the work done.Many of my basic management beliefs: competing hard to win, facing reality,setting stretch goals, and relentlessly following up, can be traced to my mother.

Middle children cannot employ the strategies used by either first born oryoungest siblings and relative to other siblings, tend to be more: diplomatic andpolitically skilled, good at negotiation, peacemaking, and compromise, relativelycloser to friends than to family.

Famous Middle BornKenneth I. Chenault, CEO of, American Express:Balances an unrelenting achievement drive with friendliness and an open doorpolicy. Classmates often chose Chenault to represent them often in negotiationswith school administrators because of his diplomatic skills. Ken is the secondborn of three brothers and one sister.

Carleton "Carly" Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett PackardFiorina leveraged her diplomatic skills to build leveraged coalitions and

consensus, for example, in the highly contentious merger between HP andCompaq. Her leadership mantra: It is neither the strongest nor the smartest of

13


14/19


the species who survive, but those who are most adaptable to change" .Has oneolder sister and one younger brother.

Special Circumstances:

Other variables, such as:

Gender Culture Socioeconomic factors Family size Attributes of parents

Divorce, additional marriages, and half- or step- siblingsmay lead to deviations from the general patterns of Birth Order and personalitycharacteristics in the workplace. Therefore, the imp impact of BirthOrder on personality is not a fail-safe predictor and should not be used in human

resource decisions. Also, since birth order involves family background and can berelated to socioeconomic status, ethnic group membership, or religious affiliation,companies should be very cautious about inquiring about the sibling structures ofjob candidates if they decide to do so at all.As an example of an exception to the usual birth order pattern, second bornchildren can take on first born attributes if:There is a high degree of conflict between the first born and parents or if the firstborn is: Disabled and Shy.

14


15/19


Conclusion

Since birth order can have such a significant influence since on personality, it canalso help illuminate thinking and behavior in the workplace. However, becausethere are so many other variables that influence personality, and because birth

order is part of one because ones family background and can be related toreligion and ethnicity, birth order should not be used as a criterion in selection orpromotions. Birth order is more valuable for inspiring questions about personalityand style than for providing answers.

Much research has been conducted on the Big Five. This has resulted in bothcriticisms and support for the model. Critics argue that there are limitations tothe scope of Big Five as an explanatory or predictive theory. It is argued that theBig Five does not explain all of human personality. The methodology used toidentify the dimensional structure of personality traits, factor analysis, is oftenchallenged for not having a universally-recognized basis for choosing amongsolutions with different numbers of factors. Another frequent criticism is that theBig Five is not theory-driven. It is merely a data-driven investigation of certaindescriptors that tend to cluster together under factor analysis.

One common criticism is that the Big Five does not explain all of humanpersonality. Some psychologists have dissented from the model preciselybecause they feel it neglects other domains of personality, such as Religiosity,Manipulative ness/Machiavellianism, Honesty, Thriftiness, Conservativeness,Masculinity/Femininity, Snobbishness, Sense of humor, Identity, Self-concept, andMotivation. Correlations have been found between some of these variables andthe Big Five, such as the inverse relationship between political conservatism andOpenness, although variation in these traits is not well explained by the FiveFactors themselves. McAdams has called the Big Five a "psychology of thestranger," because they refer to traits that are relatively easy to observe in a

15
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honestyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrifthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_rolehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snobhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humourhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_identityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-concepthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machiavellianismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honestyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrifthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservatismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_rolehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snobhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humourhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_identityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-concepthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivation


16/19


stranger; other aspects of personality that are more privately held or morecontext-dependent are excluded from the Big Five.

In many studies, the five factors are not fully orthogonal to one another; that is,the five factors are not independent. Negative correlations often appear betweenNeuroticism and Extraversion, for instance, indicating that those who are more

prone to experiencing negative emotions tend to be less talkative and outgoing.Orthogonally is viewed as desirable by some researchers because it minimizesredundancy between the dimensions. This is particularly important when the goalof a study is to provide a comprehensive description of personality with as fewvariables as possible.

A frequent criticism is that the Big Five is not based on any underlying theory; itis merely an empirical finding that certain descriptors cluster together under

factor analysis. While this

does not mean that these five factors don't exist, the underlying causes behindthem are unknown. Sensation seeking and cheerfulness are not linked toExtraversion because of an underlying theory; this relationship is an empiricalfinding to be explained. Several overarching theoretical models have beenproposed to cover all of the Big Five, such as Five-Factor Theory and SocialInvestment Theory. Temperament Theory may prove to provide a theoreticalfoundation for the Big Five, and provide a longitudinal (life-span) model in which

the Big Five could be grounded.Another area of investigation is to make a more complete model of personality. The Big Five personality traits are empirical observations, not a theory; theobservations of personality research remain to be explained. Costa and McCraehave built what they call the Five Factor Theory of Personality as an attempt toexplain personality from the cradle to the grave. They don't follow the lexicalhypothesis, though, but favor a theory-driven approach inspired by the samesources as the sources of the Big Five.

These new additions "suggest that the structure of personality traits may bemore differentiated in childhood than in adulthood" which would explain the

recent research in this particular area.

16
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthogonalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthogonal


17/19


References

Http://psychology.about.com /old/personalitydevelopment/a/bigfive.htm

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3447200087-html

www.dattnerconsulting.com

Ben Dattner, Ph.D., [email protected]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

17
http://www.dattnerconsulting.com/mailto:[email protected]://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traitshttp://www.dattnerconsulting.com/mailto:[email protected]://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits


18/19


APPENDIX A (QUESTIONNAIRE)Demographic Information:

1. Age: a. (17-19) b. (20-23)2. Gender: a. male b. female3. Education year:

a. Freshman b. Sophomore c. Junior d. SeniorQuestions for birth order:

1. How many male siblings do you have?0 1 2 3 4or more2. How many female siblings do you have?

0 1 2 3 4or more3. Are you:

Oldest child In the middle Youngest Child Only ChildInstructions:Here are number of characteristics that may or may not apply to you, for example, do you agree thatyou re someone who is emotionally stable not easily upset? Please circle the number to your responseto indicate the extant to which you are agree ordisagree with that statement.

I see myself as someone who:1. Is talkative

2. Is emotionally stable, not easily upset

3. Is depressed, blue

4. Has an assertive personality

5. Is reserved

6. Can be moody

7. Is relaxed, handles stress well8. Is someone shy, inhibited

9. Is full of energy

10. Remains calm in tense

11. Is outgoing, social able

12. Can be tense

13. Generates a lot of enthusiasm

14. Gets nervous easily

15. Worries a lot

18

AgreeStrongly

Agreea little

Neutral DisagreeA little

DisagreeStrongly

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 04 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 0

4 3 2 1 04 3 2 1 0


19/19


16. Tends to be quiet

APPENDIX B (GRAPH)

19

report of psycho

Documents