BIG 5 PERSONALITY TRAITS OF WESTERN PSYCHOLOGY

O.C.E.A.N. is an acronym in western psychology to describe global personality traits effected by nature, nurture, our environments and the stories we tell about who we are. These traits are often seen as stable, fixed and unchanging. However, new research is showing that with consistent meditation, psychedelic assisted psychotherapy, and tending to mindfulness of the body, mind, spirit, nature and soul, these traits can become fluid. The more flexible our minds become with these healing modalities, the more we are able to notice and shift our instinctual reactions. With this cognitive flexibility and awareness of our behaviors, we turn these automatic responses into thoughtful actions for how we want to respond moment to moment in our lives.

Where do you fall on this continuum? High, low, somewhere in the middle? Awareness is everything…

OCEAN : Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism

               • Openness to experience - inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious

               • Conscientiousness - efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless

               • Extraversion - outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved

               • Agreeableness - friendly/compassionate vs. critical/rational

               • Neuroticism - sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident



Openness

     High

          • creative
          • imaginative
          • insightful
          • many interests
          • seeking new experiences
          • happy to think about abstract concepts

     
     Low

          • dislikes change
          • does not enjoy new actives and environments
          • resists new ideas
          • not imaginative
          • dislikes abstract or theoretical concepts


Conscientiousness

     High

         • kind
         • mindfully aware of their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings
         • spends time preparing
         • good impulse control
         • goal oriented
         • finishes important tasks right away
         • pays attention to detail
         • enjoys having a set schedule

     Low

         • dislikes structure
         • makes messes and doesn’t take care of things
         • fails to return things or put them back where they belong
         • procrastination


Extroversion

     High

        • enjoys being the center of attention
        • likes to start conversations
        • emotionally expressive
        • enjoys meeting new people
        • wide social circle
        • finds it easy to make new friends
        • feels energized by others
        • says things before thinking about them

     Low

        • prefers solitude
        • reserved with their energy
        • feels energized by being alone
        • feels exhausted when in social settings
        • finds it difficult to start conversations
        • dislikes small talk
        • carefully thinks things through before speaking
        • keeps emotions and feelings to themselves
        • dislikes being the center of attention


Agreeableness

     High

       • interest in others
       • cares about others
       • empathic
       • cooperative
       • enjoys helping and contributing to the happiness of others
       • assist others who need help

    Low
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      • little interest in others
      • doesn’t care how people feel
      • has little interest in others problems
      • insults or belittles others
      • competitive with themselves and others
      • manipulates other to get what they want


Neuroticism

    High

      • experiences a lot of stress
      • worries about many things
      • moody
      • gets upset easily
      • experiences dramatic shifts in mood
      • feels anxious
      • struggles to bounce back

     Low

     • emotionally stable
     • deals with stress with ease
     • rarely gets stuck in feelings of depression
     • doesn’t worry
     • resilient when facing adversity
     • relaxed and trusting of the moment

Most people live somewhere in the middle of these extreme highs and lows. This middle road is call equanimity in Buddhist Psychology. Knowing these traits and where we find ourselves today can help us understand where we are on the continuum, and the more we know, the more agency we have over our experience.


​On a scale of 1-10, where do you fall on each one?