Today, these dimensions are known as Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. These five factors where the given name "Five-Factor Model", also referred to as the "Big Five. Neuroticism encompasses a person 's "emotional stability and personal adjustment" (Burger 161-161). So, if a person scored highly in neuroticism, characteristics of that person could include feeling frequently worried, or, feeling unsatisfied with themselves. Those who score highly in neuroticism also commonly experience higher stress on a day to day basis than those who score lower in it. Meanwhile, characteristics of a person with a low score for neuroticism are commonly things like being well adjusted, feeling content with oneself and have the ability to deal with daily stressors in a suitable way (Burger 162-162). The second factor is Extraversion. This essentially separates extraverts from introverts. Those high in extraversion are typically sociable and assertive while those low in extraversion are reserved and independent. The Openness factor refers to a person 's "openness to experience" (Burger 163-163). In other words, their willingness to explore new ideas and practices outside of familiarity. For example, someone enthusiastic about studying abroad for a year, in a country they have never been to, learning a new language they so not know yet, probably scores quite highly in openness. …show more content…
One of the most noted arguments against the Big Five can be found in its name- that having only five factors is too, "insufficient to summarize all that we know about individual differences in personality" (McCrae & John 15-15). While the five factors encompass a large range of traits, it is still argued that there are still traits that have not represented in this model. According to the authors of a scholarly journal article published by the American Psychological Association, "a five factor structure does not robustly emerge everywhere, and some researchers have posited more than five personality factors within certain populations" (Gurven, Rueden, Massenkoff & Kaplan 354-354). These arguments have not been completely negated either. It is true that "these additional factors can often be subsumed under one of the Big Five factors" (Gurven, Rueden, Massenkoff & Kaplan 354-354). For instance, "facets of Agreeableness include things like trust (vs. mistrust)... modesty (vs. arrogance)...tender-mindedness (vs. low empathy)..." (Widiger & Trull 2-2). However, it is still argued that the five factors do not fully embody the definition(s) of personality. What the five-factor model does do is, "represent the highest hierarchical level of trait description" (McCrae & John 15-15). It is for this exact reason, that the Big Five has not been deemed unsuitable for describing