BIG 5 PERSONALITY TRAITS via William L. Benge Need for Stability: Stress trigger

BIG 5 PERSONALITY TRAITS

via William L. Benge

Need for Stability:

Stress triggers your automatic nervous system, or fight-or-flight response. A period of arousal is followed by a return to normalcy and calm. Individuals with higher N scores have a shorter trigger and can’t take a lot of stress before feeling it. People with lower N scores are able to take abundant amounts of stress before feeling it.

Extraversion:

Sensation, or the five senses, is the trigger. Your E score is an estimate of the point when your motoric nervous system is aroused, becomes saturated with sensation and craves relief. Extraversion is traditionally associated with sociability because other people are the most common source of stimulation. People with higher E scores can take more sensation before becoming saturated.

Originality:

Novelty is the trigger. Dopamine is widely considered the “creativity” chemical, with levels of dopamine and dopamine receptors related to one’s ability to hold visual images in the mind. Your O score represents the point at which you have used up your available dopamine in your pursuit of novelty and your system says “no more novelty or complexity. Take me back to the simple and familiar, the tried and true.”

Accommodation:

The trigger is dominance. The arousal system consists of sex hormones (such as testosterone and estrogen) and serotonin, the neurotransmitter involved in sleep, depression and memory. For people with a relative abundance of male hormones and a relative deficit of female hormones, defiance is the norm. Someone with an opposite balance of hormones would normally be submissive. Your A score is an estimate of the point when you tire of being defiant and turn submissive.

Consolidation:

Distractions are the trigger. The arousal system supporting C behaviors is the attentional focus system, greatly impacted by levels of testosterone. High levels of testosterone are associated with a greater capacity for sustained, repetitive, goal-focused behavior. Distractions trigger the attentional system, causing loss of focus.Your C score is an estimate of the point when you finally say, “That’s enough focusing for now. Time for a break.”

—adding—

AND SIX: IQ: Rate at which you learn.

AND SEVEN: Your visible reproductive value.