Personality Case

Personality Theories

Jerry Kitchen

Argosy University

Instructor(s) Teresa Burton & Vjollca Martinson

General Psychology

February 2, 2014

Introduction

Sometimes we go through life and do not think about it, we just do it. Why are we, the way we are? Why are we so different from each other? Why do we think the way we do? What is biological and what is psychological? I may be only five feet, nine inches tall because of my biological traits. For the way I think; my environment has played a much bigger role as to the way I think and feel. This paper is a little about me, the way I think, and is a learning experience for me.

The Big-Five Factor Model of Personality

Many psychologists believe there are five basic dimensions of personality. They are sometimes referred to as the “Big Five” personality traits. These five factors are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness to experience, (Gerrig, 2012 p 359). We will go over these five traits and give an idea of where I stand personally. I must say it is very hard to rate yourself in these categories. There are times I think differently than I act. With that said I will try and be as accurate as I can and why I think I am where I am at.

Extraversion: I am very friendly. I am in the middle on assertiveness, and excitement seeking activities. There are times when I will jump in, mainly because nobody else is, but I will not seek that out first. Agreeableness: I have a strong interest in others’ needs and well-being. I am pleasant to be around, sympathetic, and cooperative with others. I will almost always listen before making judgments, and even then I do not always feel it is my place to judge. I am not a chatter-box, but enjoy the company of others, and time alone. Conscientiousness: I am fairly reliable when asked to do a task. I am not OCD about being organized but I do like things in order. Rarely do I lash out. I almost always try to think about my actions before I act on them. Neuroticism: Stressful and frustrating situations can get to me, but in general I find a way to cope with those situations. I have found myself over snacking when trying to do school assignments. Openness to experience: I like things plain and simple. I would say I would be described as down-to-earth, practical, and conservative. I do not have a big desire to travel. Taking the family to Disney Land instead of Paris is ok with me. One area I will experiment with is with food. Not that I like all foods, but I do like finding something new that I enjoy.

Social Learning

I grew up the eighth child of