Which one of these traits seems like it doesn't belong: extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism?
Seriously, something just doesn't make sense. According to an article in the LA Times today, those five traits (referred to as 'the big five') are "thought to define personality and shape a person's day-to-day thoughts and behavior". I guess what confuses me is the inclusion of 'neuroticism'... I mean, if you're going to include that, why choose to use the word 'extroversion' instead of 'introversion'?
I'm wondering now: is it just me being, well....neurotic...or does anyone else agree?
I don't even know why I care, tbh, but it just strikes me as odd!
Posted Dec 10, 2009, 1:07 AM UTC
12
I think i understand.
Extroversion being a continuum.. Much like I would ask "how large is something", I don't mean to exclude 'small' from that parameter.
So extroversion means "degree of extroversion". and if you are hardly at all extroverted.. well you'd be introverted. Similarly, "degree of largeness", if you aren't large at all, you are small.
neuroticism is a different dimension of psyche entirely.
Actually, all 5 of these traits describe entirely different dimensions of personality. Consider this that places each item in a more continuum-like list.
introversion <---> extroversion
disagreeable <---> agreeable
conscientious <---> selfish
open <---> closed
neurotic <---> sane
Well....as a slightly neurotic person (and really, what NJ resident isn't?), I think its a bit much to say the opposite of neurosis is sanity lol. That aside, I just feel like the first four carry a positive connotation white 'neuroticism' would tend to imply a negative as far as traits go.
It just struck me as odd, although I really dont know why. ;-)