What Are Your Personality Traits and What it Reveals About You?

A person’s personality influences everything in his /her life - it governs & decides their choice of friends, life partner, academic & professional achievements.  Yet in general, most people never ever pay any attention to their personality traits. 

According to Counsellor Shivani Misri Sadhoo (Delhi's Eminent Psychologist), a person who can understand his/her personality can get immense insight into their own strengths and weaknesses. It can also help you gain insight into how others see you and how they can improve in various fields of life. Today Counsellor Shivani shares some personality traits that everyone (more or less) possesses.

1.    Conscientiousness

Conscientiousness is the personality trait of being careful or vigilant. Conscientiousness implies a desire to do a task well, and to take obligations to others seriously. Conscientious people tend to be efficient and organized as opposed to easy-going and disorderly.

People with strong conscientiousness generally are efficient, well-organized and self-sufficient. They prefer to plan things in advance and aim for high achievements. People who rank lower on conscientiousness may be viewed as stubborn and obsessive.

Studies have shown that marrying someone who is high in conscientiousness increases your own chance of workplace success, as a conscientious spouse can boost your productivity and help you achieve the most.

2. Extroversion

Extroversion is defined as the quality of being outgoing and directing attention to things other than yourself. When a person likes going out all the time and being the centre of attention, this is an example of extroversion.

People who rank high in extroversion gain energy from social activity. They're talkative, outgoing, and comfortable in the spotlight—but others may view them as domineering or attention-seeking.

3.  Agreeableness

Agreeableness is a personality trait manifesting itself in individual behavioural characteristics that are perceived as kind, sympathetic, cooperative, warm, and considerate.

People who score high on this dimension are empathetic and altruistic, while a low agreeableness score relates to selfish behaviour and a lack of empathy. Those who score very low on agreeableness show signs of dark behaviour such as manipulation and competing with others rather than cooperating.

4. Openness to Experience

Openness to experience personality involves six facets or dimensions, including active imagination (fantasy), aesthetic sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference for variety and intellectual curiosity. A great deal of psychometric research has demonstrated that these facets or qualities are significantly correlated. Thus, openness can be viewed as a global personality trait consisting of a set of specific traits, habits, and tendencies that cluster together.