[transcript]

In the last lesson we began to explain the Big 5 person traits, the core differences between people’s temperaments that emerge statistically when analyzing a large number of people. If you missed last week’s lesson, be sure to visit our website at www.BestClassEver.org so that you don’t miss out on the critical lessons to be learned about Creativity, IQ, and Conscientiousness. They are by far the biggest indicators of success. But today we will look at Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, which are also critical. 

My name is Shaun McMillan, and this is the Best Class Ever. 

O.C.E.A.N.

Extraversion

The acronym we use for the Big 5 is O.C.E.A.N. We already discussed O which stands for openness and divides up into creativity and intelligence. We also discussed C Conscientiousness which divides up into Orderliness and Industriousness. Now let’s look at E which stands for Extraversion.

Now this one is the easiest to explain because it is by far the most familiar. The Myers Briggs personality test also includes Extraversion so anyone who has previously taken interest in personality types would know that extroverts get energy by being around other people, and introverts find it exhausting to be around people and gain energy by spending time alone. 

Extraversion divides up into assertiveness and exuberance. Before we didn’t really discuss the differences between men and women because when the sample size is large enough we don’t find that there is any measurable difference between men and women on average in terms of intelligence or conscientiousness. But on average women do tend to score lower on assertiveness. There’s no surprise here. Men are generally perceived as more aggressive, and women who make it a habit to assert themselves or assume authoritative positions are often labelled a derogatory term comparing them to a female dog.

Again, I must explain, that to score high or low is not better or worse. It’s just different. But there are cultural perceptions and biases that may or may not be very rational. For instance, we tend to see those who are assertive, outspoken, enthusiastic, and optimistic as good leaders. We also have a bias towards seeing tall people as leaders, perhaps because we literally have to look up to them, but there is absolutely no correlation between height and leadership ability. 

Extraverts love to have you around. They may not even necessarily like anything about you specifically, but they love an audience. And society loves them too. Our attention naturally goes towards those who are assertive, outspoken, and enthusiastic. 

So those who do not speak up for themselves can easily be dismissed. For this reason I believe it’s good to keep an eye out for those whose value often goes unappreciated. 

Agreeableness

Next we can speak about the A in O.C.E.A.N.–Agreeableness. Technically speaking, agreeableness is our sensitivity to positive response. It divides up into politeness and compassion. On average women do tend to score much higher in Agreeableness. These are the characteristics we need to raise children well. 

A person who scores low in agreeableness would be considered disagreeable. We can all think of someone who is extremely disagreeable. That guy who always speaks his mind no matter how rude and without regard for how it will make people feel. Those who are high in agreeableness cringe at the insensitivity of such people. But we need both agreeable people who help everyone to live in harmony, and disagreeable people who are willing to say the difficult things that need to be said. As they say, sometimes pessimists are the ultimate optimists. They point out the negative because they believe things can be better. 

It’s important to know your natural temperament so that you don’t fall prey to others in certain situations. For instance, if you need to negotiate with your employer being agreeable, polite, compassionate, and failing to be assertive will certainly put you at an unfair advantage when dealing with an assertive disagreeable person. So even though it may be temporarily uncomfortable, there are times when you need to act against your natural temperament. 

Neuroticism

The last letter in our acronym O.C.E.A.N., N, stands for neuroticism. Neuroticism technically speaking is our sensitivity to negative response. It divides up into volatility and withdrawal. We can think of neuroticism as nervousness or obsessing over issues. People high in neuroticism worry about the future. They worry. To be honest I am not sure what to say about neuroticism, because I myself score so extremely low in neuroticism that I fear I don’t understand them at all. 

People who score high in neuroticism are often encouraged to choose a career path that will provide a lot of security. Being an artist or an entrepreneur means your income could vary wildly from month to month, and who knows what the next year will bring? Leaders often have to deal with uncertain, ambiguous problems presented by an unknown future. In volatile situations people may begin to panic or make irrational decisions out of fear. For those who are especially neurotic this is especially undesirable. 

People low in neuroticism on the other hand don’t panic, don’t worry much, and don’t obsess over uncertainty. Think about how people react when disaster strikes. Many people worry, panic, or act irrationally, but there are those who live for the excitement of chaotic situations, keep their cool, and immediately engage in solving new problems. Your natural response can tell you a lot about your natural temperament. 

Now personalities do change over time, but our natural tendencies tend to be ingrained in us from an early age. We can act against those tendencies, but it’s important to choose career paths that allow us to work comfortably over time and take advantage of our strengths. 

If you are high in openness and are especially creative, then it’s important to make time for pursuing your interests. 

If you are not high in conscientiousness that you might not like to stick to a schedule or follow instructions, but you must acknowledge how difficult that will make it for those who trust you to be responsible for the work and lives that your spontaneity affects. 

If you are extremely extraverted but low in agreeableness, please know that people won’t want to be around you if they feel you are just using them or don’t genuinely care for them as an individual. 

If you are introverted but high in agreeableness, then the relationships you build might become extremely important. If you aren’t meeting many people, but want someone to care for, then your family, your significant other, and your children will become critical to your life. But you might need to go out of your way to meet more people, or become part of a community, if you end up relying too heavily on those close to you.

If you are high in neuroticism try to find a career that will provide future security. Save money and put it aside for emergencies so that you won’t panic or obsess when calamity inevitably strikes. 

There are insights that the team can gain from your approach, but it’s important to recognize that many strengths also come with an opposite weakness. Working with those who take an opposite approach can help make up the difference, or keep our individual weaknesses from becoming the group’s weakness. So before you judge others for being different remember that to be successful it takes all types. 

To listen to last week’s lesson if you missed it, to read the notes, or to see the pertaining charts feel free to visit me at www.BestClassEver.org