Some of you may have heard about the OCEAN score, but if not then it's something you should check out, if you like to know things about yourself. Me, personally, I am into astrology and the Chinese zodiac. It is like a window into your life. After being an adult for over a decade now, I have realized that my personality can often be a hindrance to my life, if I do not keep track of it. Knowing the ins and outs of how I work, as a person, has been crucial to the building of my relationships. Differences in people's personalities, and their coinciding communication styles, fascinates me. I have learned a lot from studying these differences and how I can use them to convey my message better, or to better understand the other person I am trying to communicate with.
The OCEAN score: A big five personality quiz
Openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism
I scored differently than I thought I would have, on this test, but that is why it is intriguing. It could just mean that I am getting older, and I have yet to admit it to myself. :) If anyone else has taken this test, I would love to hear your feedback on how we relate or don't in any category. You can always take this quiz for free here.
Openness
Apparently I’m only 70% open, which hints at my conservative side. I tend to seek out things I am good at, but I enjoy new types of music and changing work environments. Some things I want to stay the same, but I am good at adjusting to change. I would definitely label myself unique in this category because the way I was raised, was to be very open, and to never judge other people's choices.
Conscientiousness
Neither aware nor unaware, I am only 58% accountable for my own actions, lol. I consider myself organized and disciplined, but my score reveals that my ideals vary significantly from my actions. I would like to consider my self conscientious, but I admit I am highly distracted. I also have not had anyone else to think about very much, besides my son, who takes up most of my time. <3
Extroversion
The highest score yet, I am 79% extroverted, which is the most true of me. I’ve always been outgoing, and, when acceptable, uninhibited. The filter between my brain and my mouth is very thin. :-) I need social groups to feel okay about myself. Turns out, a larger portion of me than I would like to admit, aligns my views with what society deems popular. I allow my inner principles to gain foothold based on those of my external environment.
Agreeableness
I am 57% agreeable. How much I agree with this statement is determinable. LOL! :-) I would like to think I was agreeable…
Neuroticism
Surprisingly, I am mostly relaxed, at only 37% neurotic. With so much on my plate right now, I feel very neurotic, but it could also be my spastic environment lol. Curious too, I was raised to act confident whether I truly was or wasn’t. I feel secure in my own religion and spirituality, but I feel upheaval in my emotions and support base. Also, I consider myself high-strung. Maybe I was just relaxed while taking this test, or maybe I was lying to myself, lol. Or maybe I am worrying too much about things that truly do not bother me. Either way, I found this surprising, in a good way.
Life influences...
Growing up, I’d say the biggest influences of these results were my Mother and her friends. Also, my grandfather was a bigger male model in my life than my Father. Being from a rural, agricultural town, I grew up conservative and simplistic. Society, however, deemed my Mother a black sheep, because she had us all with different dads. And this, I believe, greatly influenced my openness and accountability for myself.
My extroverted personality could be the result of a rural upbringing under a single mother of three at home and me the oldest. I had to make my brother and sister’s lunch and walk them to school, which I did proudly, though I had no choice. They looked up to me. As the oldest, I was naturally in charge.
I also had to assert myself or crumple into nothingness from the pain of social outcast, due to third-degree burns over the lower half of my body at age 6. No one in that small town had ever seen a body with so much scarring, and they treated me like a freak. True, no one had ever lived through such a burn at that young of an age, but other 6 year olds saw me as an outcast and so that is how I came to see myself. It was either be proud about it or try and hide it, and being proud was just easier, since swimming was something I wasn’t about to give up. Sorry to get so heavy, psychology is so amazing though! I hope we can all take our life experiences and turn them into strengths of character!
XO :-D Cheers!
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References
- Potter, J. (2015) The big five project: personality test. [Web] Retrieved from http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/
- Wade, C., & Tavris, C., (2012) Invitation to Psychology. 5th edition. [Ebook] Retrieved from https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/
