It’s hard to have a true perspective on your own personality traits and how you express them in the world. If you’ve never taken a personality test or read much about your personality type, you probably rely on the feedback you’ve heard about yourself from others about your personality traits. “He’s really outgoing.” “She can be argumentative.” “He’s always uptight.” “She has such a calm demeanor.” We take these descriptions and use them to help us craft what we believe to be our “personality.” Also, over time we learn things about ourselves — our preferences, how we behave in certain situations, and how we interact with others. If we pay attention to our words and actions, we can assimilate and recognize more traits that make up our personalities. In general, personality consists of the recurring patterns of thoughts, emotions, characteristics, and behaviors that make a person unique. It arises from within each individual and remains fairly consistent and permanent throughout life. Research suggests that personality types are also influenced by biological processes and needs. There are a number of theories about how our personalities develop, including personality type theories (like the Myers Briggs type) and personality trait theories. The personality trait theory suggests that individual personalities are made up of broad dispositions, and many modern researchers believe there are five core personality traits.
What are the 5 Main Personality Traits?
Extraversion Personality Trait
Including personality traits such as excitability, sociability, talkativeness, assertiveness and high amounts of emotional expressiveness.
Agreeableness Personality Trait
Attributes such as trust, altruism, kindness, affection, and other prosocial behaviors. A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.
Conscientiousness Personality Trait
High levels of thoughtfulness, good impulse control, and goal-directed behaviors. Those high in conscientiousness tend to be organized and mindful of details, as well as act dutifully, aim for achievement, and prefer planned rather than spontaneous behavior.
Neuroticism Personality Trait
Tendency to experience emotional instability, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, and sadness, as well as having a low tolerance for stress.
Openness Personality Trait
Personality traits such as imagination and insight, and a broad range of interests, as well as: intellectual curiosity, creativity and a preference for novelty and variety. Understanding more about our own personalities can help in how we relate to the people close to us — and help them understand us better. It can also improve the way we work and learn, as we know more about our natural traits and how we can work with them rather than against them.
List of 600 Personality Traits
Dig deeper into your personality and the characteristics that comprise it with our list below.
Positive Personality Traits
Even Personality Traits
Negative Personality Traits
What is your personality type? Take quiz to discover your personality type. What Is The Most Introverted Personality Type? Why ENFP And INFJ Personalities Make A Good Match Similarities And Differences Between INTP and INTJ How will you use these personality traits? Now that you’ve reviewed this list of personality traits, do you better understand your own personality? Are you able to recognize both positive and negative traits and how they affect your life, relationships, and career success? You can use your new knowledge of your personality traits to your advantage in the following ways:
You’ll be more able to understand other people and why they behave as they do.
You’ll better understand your own likes and dislikes and why you have them.
You’ll know how to build on your strengths and manage your weaknesses.
You’ll have more awareness of the type of career that is best suited to your personality.
Take the time to consider your personality traits and what they mean for you and your happiness in life. Even small changes that support these traits can make a big difference in your well-being.
