Introduction
Personality characteristics refer to “human traits that are used to describe the character of individuals”. Individuals tend to have unique personal attributes that are used to distinguish them from others. The factors that influence the development of personality characteristics include early development, family or social life experiences and educational background.
This paper focuses on describing my personality characteristics. The personality characteristics will be described or analyzed within the five factor model. The five factor model provides “five broad domain of personality used to describe individuals”. The development of my personality characteristics will also be illuminated.
Openness
Openness is a personality domain that compares “inventive or curious people with those who are consistent or cautious”. Thus it classifies individuals as either open or closed. I am an open person and this can be explained by the following specific traits which comprise my personality. To begin with, I am very adventurous both in my social life and at the workplace.
I have always aimed at achieving new targets in my career. My adventurous nature has been the driving force as I attempt to achieve the targets. Consequently, I have since been promoted to the position of a supervisor. I also like buying a new thing every time especially if the prices are negotiable. Thus I believe in the unusual idea of spending my money before earning it by borrowing cash in order to buy what I want.
My love for electronics is based on the fact that I am always curious to know how they work. The development of my curiosity can be traced to my high schools days. As a high school student, I developed a keen interest in science subjects. I was not only interested in understanding the logic behind scientific concepts but also their application in real life situations.
I realized that scientists succeed in their experiments because they are always objective and even hold unconventional ideas if necessary. It is for this reason that I sometimes believe in unusual ideas especially if such ideas are helpful to me. In order to succeed in my studies, I focused on setting high academic targets and striving to achieve them. I consequently became adventurous by trying to achieve new targets in very academic year.
Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness is a personality domain that distinguishes organized persons from easy-going or careless people. I am a conscientious person and this can be explained as follows. First, I normally focus on demonstrating self-discipline and acting dutifully. This has enabled me to succeed in my career as a supervisor at Best-Buy.
Second, as a supervisor I am usually ready to handle any emergencies that arise at the workplace in order to ensure continuity of the business. Third, I do prefer engaging in planned activities or behaviors as a strategy for succeeding in life. This means that I hardly engage in spontaneous behaviors or acts and this helps me to reduce the chances of failure.
Even though I have been conscientious since childhood, I became more focused on acting dutifully and showing self-discipline when I got employed. By exhibiting these attributes I am considered a loyal and dedicated employee. Developing these attributes involved following tight schedules at the workplace in order to meet deadlines.
Paying attention to details has always been an integral part of my behavior since it helps me to make the right decisions. I also became a conscientious person by consistently aiming at high achievements both at work and in private life. In order to achieve my goals or objectives, I have had to exercise self-discipline and organization while pursuing my ambitions.
Extraversion
Extraversion is a personality domain that shows the distinction between outgoing persons and the reserved individuals. Thus it classifies individuals as either extroverts or introverts. My personality traits as an extrovert include the following. To begin with, I love jokes and I am always in a good mood. I like having fun with my friends since I enjoy being in company of others especially during my free time.
Consequently, my colleagues describe me as a person ‘full of energy’. I not only spend time with others when having fun but also at work. This is because I do believe that teamwork can help in achieving success within the stipulated timeline. Even though I normally face several challenges in life, I still remain enthusiastic in everything I do. Focusing on being enthusiastic in life enables me to perceive situations from a positive perspective and this encourages me to fight on during difficult times.
My traits as an extrovert developed both in school (collage) and in social relationships especially at the workplace. While in collage, I realized that spending time with others outside the classroom was important in enhancing my learning process. In addition to having fun, spending time with fellow students helped me to understand the course content through informal discussions with friends.
At the workplace, I decided to establish positive relationships with colleagues in order to facilitate teamwork. Spending time with colleagues at the workplace encourages cooperation and a sense of belonging. Having realized these benefits, I normally focus on being in a good mood and having fun with others.
Agreeableness
Agreeableness is the ability to be compassionate or to cooperate with others instead of being antagonistic. As an agreeable person I do believe in being cooperative and friendly to others even if they may not reciprocate. I find it easy to get along with others since I believe in friendship. Thus I normally help others to solve their problems whenever I can since such help strengthen friendships. I am always optimistic about the future as I also recognize the current challenges.
I began to develop these traits during my early life or development. As a child, I lived with my cousins and aunt until completing fourth grade. During this time I learnt to get along with others especially those who are not immediate members of my family.
When my parents divorced, I moved with my mother from Brooklyn to Queens where I met new people. I had to cooperate and get along with them in order to socialize. My mother remarried and contrary to my expectation, my step father turned out to be a good man. I then realized the need to be supportive, cooperative and helpful to others.
Neuroticism
Neuroticism focuses on individuals’ ability to handle their emotions especially when faced with challenges. Even though I sometimes experience depression, I have been able to control my emotions. My objective is to avoid extreme negative emotional experiences. My periods of depression do not last for a long time.
This is because I am always enthusiastic and optimistic in finding a solution to my challenges. I am a very well laid-back and calm person. I hardly get upset and show my anger in public. I leant to control my emotions through my social relationships and family life. I separated with the mother of my three daughters.
Even though we are still separated I have been able to maintain a good relationship with her and our children. I also broke up with my girlfriend because I was not treating her well. In order to avoid stress from the break up, I acknowledged my mistakes and now we are friends again. These experiences enabled me to realize that difficult situations can be solved if they are perceived from a positive perspective.
Conclusion
The above discussion indicates that personality traits describe the nature or character of an individual. The specific personality traits of a person can be described using the five factor model. According to this model, I am an open and conscientious person. I am also an extrovert since I like jokes, fun and spending time with friends.
As an agreeable person, I am able to cooperate and get along with others easily. Besides, I am able to control my emotions even though I sometimes get depressed. The factors that enabled me to develop the above mentioned personality traits include educational background, social relationships, family life and early development.
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