■ Extroversion—this dimension captures one’s comfort level with relationships. Extroverts tend to be gregarious, assertive, and sociable. Introverts tend to be reserved, timid, and quiet.
■ Agreeableness—this dimension refers to an individual’s propensity to defer to others. Highly agreeable people are cooperative, warm, and trusting. People who scorelow on agreeableness are cold, disagreeable, and antagonistic.
■ Conscientiousness—this dimension is a measure of reliability. A highly conscientious person is responsible, organized, dependable, and persistent. Those who score low on this dimension are easily distracted, disorganized, and unreliable.
■ Emotional stability (often labeled by its converse, neuroticism)—this dimension taps a person’s ability to withstand stress. People with positive emotional stability tend to be calm, self-confident, and secure. Those with high negative scores tend to be nervous, anxious, depressed, and insecure.
■ Openness to experience—this dimension addresses one’s range of interests and fascination with novelty. Extremely open people are creative, curious, and artistically sensitive. Those at the other end of the openness category are conventional and find comfort in the familiar