Understand Myself

Personality Assessment Report

Prepared for Daniel Ramos Lorenzo

The Understand Myself personality assessment and report is based on the Big Five Aspects

Scale, the scientific model that describes your personality through the (Big Five) factors and
each of their two aspects. This report describes where you stand in comparison to others in

the general population on the these traits and aspects.

understandmyself.com
my scores

Agreeableness 6
Extraversion 9
Conscientiousness 31
Openness 89
Neuroticism 67

The traits and aspects of the Big Five personality model are:

Agreeableness: Compassion and Politeness

Conscientiousness: Industriousness and Orderliness

Extraversion: Enthusiasm and Assertiveness

Neuroticism: Withdrawal and Volatility

Openness: Intellect and Aesthetics

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In the original Big Five Aspects Scale model, the openness factor was entitled "Openness to

Experience," and its aspects were called "Intellect" and "Openness". For the sake of clarity, we

have deviated from this, and use "Openness" or "Openness to Experience" to refer to the
factor level trait and "Intellect" and "Aesthetics" to refer to its aspects.

Our systems have compared your-self-ratings to those of thousands of other people. You are

being compared to men and women of all ages. This means that if you are young, your scores

on neuroticism will be higher and on agreeableness and conscientiousness will be lower than
if you were compared to people of your own age (with the reverse being true for older

individuals). For men, their scores on agreeableness and on neuroticism will be lower than if

they were just being compared to men. We decided to make the comparisons simple, so that
you know where you stand in comparison to the typical person (with age and sex regarded as

irrelevant).

Your scores are presented as percentiles. A percentile indicates where you stand on a

particular trait with respect to the population. A percentile score of, say, 63, indicates that your
score is as high or higher than 63% of the population.

Remember that each personality trait and aspect (and your relative position with respect to

them) has advantages and disadvantages. It is for that reason that variation exists in the
human population: there is a niche for each personality configuration. Much of what

constitutes success in life is therefore the consequence of finding the place in relationships,

work and personal commitment that corresponds to your unique personality structure. Good
luck with your expanded self-understanding!

Note also that if you find the descriptions harsher than you might consider appropriate this

may mean that you were more self-critical than necessary when completing the questions

(remember, the results are based on your own self-report, compared to that of others). This
can occur if you were feeling temporarily or chronically unhappy or anxious, or hungry, angry

or judgmental when you completed the questions.

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Agreeableness: Very Low

You are very low in agreeableness, which is the primary dimension of interpersonal

interaction in the Big Five personality trait scientific model. The two aspects of agreeableness
are compassion and politeness.

Your score puts you at the 6th percentile for agreeableness. If you were one of 100 people in

a room, you would be lower in agreeableness than 93 of them and higher in agreeableness

than 6 of them.

Agreeableness
Very Low
6

Agreeableness is a very complex trait, with marked positive and negative elements all along its

distribution. Because of this, higher scores and lower scores need to be explained at the same
time. People high in agreeableness are nice: compliant, nurturing, kind, naively trusting and

conciliatory. However, because of their tendency to avoid conflict, they often dissemble and

hide what they think.

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People low in agreeableness are not so nice: stubborn, dominant, harsh, skeptical, competitive

and, in the extreme, even predatory. However, they tend to be straightforward, even blunt, so

you know where they stand.

People with very low levels of agreeableness are seen by others as markedly competitive,
colder, tougher and very much less empathic. They do not easily see the best in others, and

are not particularly tolerant (an attitude that is much valued by agreeable people). They are

very much less concerned about the emotional state of others, are uncommonly willing to
engage in conflict, and will happily sacrifice peace and harmony to make a point or (if

conscientious) to get things done. People may find them painfully straightforward and blunt.

They tend very strongly towards dominance, rather than submission (particularly if also below
average in neuroticism).

People with very low levels of agreeableness do not easily forgive. They are not accepting,

flexible, gentle or patient. They don’t easily feel pity for those who are excluded, punished or

defeated, and tend to attribute such problems to weakness. They are also very unlikely to be
taken advantage of by disagreeable, manipulative or otherwise troublesome people, or those

with criminal or predatory intent. Their high levels of skepticism play a protective role,
although it may often interfere with their ability to cooperate with or trust others whose

intentions are genuinely good. They are also less likely to reward good behavior or to give

credit where it is due. They can cooperate, when cooperation is in their clear self-interest, but
very much appreciate competition, with its well-defined losers and winners. They do not easily

lose arguments (or avoid discussions) with anyone, and can forthrightly enjoy the battle.
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They can be very good at bargaining for themselves, and at negotiating for more recognition

or power, and are likely to have higher salaries and to earn more money, in consequence.

People very low in agreeableness are therefore less likely to suffer from resentment or to
harbour invisible anger. They let you know what they think, when they think it. In addition,

because of their tendency to engage in conflict, when necessary, people low in agreeableness

tend not to sacrifice medium- to long-term stability and function for the sake of short-term
peace. This means that problems that should be solved in the present are often solved, and

do not accumulate counterproductively across time, although people close to those very low

in agreeableness may often experience them as overbearing and uncaring.

Women are higher in agreeableness than men. The mean percentile for women in a general
population (women and men) is 61.5. For men it is 38.5. The fact that men are lower in

agreeableness than women helps explain their much higher rates of criminal incarceration

(90% male). The primary difference between criminals and non-criminals is disagreeableness.
If the typical criminal is more disagreeable than 98% of people in the general population, then

almost all those criminals will be male. This difference in agreeableness between men and
women is largest in countries such as Norway and Sweden, where the most has been done to

ensure equality of outcome between the sexes. This provides strong evidence that biological

factors rather than environment and learning account for the dissimilarity.

Agreeableness, per se, is not strongly associated with political liberalism or conservatism, but
this is because the aspects of agreeableness predict such political belief in opposite ways, and

cancel each other out. Liberals are higher in aspect compassion, and conservatives in aspect

politeness. However, alliance with the category of belief that has come to be known as
politically correct is strongly predicted by agreeableness (particularly compassion). What this

appears to mean is that agreeable people strongly identify with those they deem oppressed,

seeing them, essentially, as exploited infants, and demonize those they see as oppressors,
seeing them as cruel, heartless predators.
There are large differences between men and women in terms of spontaneous interest, and

these also appear associated with agreeableness. Agreeable people, caring as they do for
others, are more likely to enter professions associated with people, such as teaching and

nursing, which are dominated by women. This is true even in the Scandinavian countries,

where attempts to produce gender-equal societies has reached a maximum.

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Disagreeable people, by contrast, appear to prefer systematizing over empathizing, and are

more interested in things – machines and technology. In consequence, professions such as

engineering and trades associated with construction and machinery tend to be dominated by
relatively disagreeable men.
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Compassion: Exceptionally Low

You are exceptionally low in compassion. Compassion is an aspect of agreeableness. The

other aspect of agreeableness is politeness.

Your score puts you at the 2nd percentile for compassion. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be lower in compassion than 97 of them and higher in compassion than 2 of
them.

Compassion
Exceptionally Low
2

Exceptionally less compassionate people are not at all oriented towards the problems of other
people or other living things. They are not swayed or emotionally engaged by helplessness or

cuteness. They are very willing, even happy, to make other people experience negative

emotion by engaging in conflict and competition.

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They want to win, period, and will engage in the confrontation necessary to do so. They are

therefore very much less concerned about helping other people. They make certain their own

needs and interests are attended to, and are extraordinarily unwilling to sacrifice for the sake
of other people’s comfort. This can make them harsh and unsympathetic. People might turn

to them for the blunt, cold, hard truth, but never for a soft, patient, eternally-listening ear.

They are remarkably less empathetic and caring. However, because they are not primarily
other-oriented, they can negotiate expertly on their own behalf, and get at least what they

deserve (and perhaps more). In consequence, they are unlikely to harbor feelings of

resentment or hidden anger. They find it difficult to trust, however, even when such trust
would be productive, and other people are likely to find them callous and unfeeling.

Those who are liberal, politically, score somewhat higher in compassion than conservatives.

Women are also higher in compassion than men. The mean percentile for women in a general

population (women and men) is 61. For men it is 39.

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Politeness: Moderately Low

You are moderately low in politeness. Politeness is an aspect of agreeableness. The other

aspect of agreeableness is compassion.

Your score puts you at the 26th percentile for politeness. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be lower in politeness than 73 of them and higher in politeness than 26 of
them.

Politeness
Moderately Low
26

People who are moderately low in politeness are not particularly deferential to authority – nor
are they markedly obedient. They can be respectful, but only to people who clearly deserve it,

and they are willing to push back when challenged. They are not particularly uncomfortable

confronting other people.

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People moderately low in politeness are not particularly motivated to avoid conflict, or to steer

clear of conflict or fights.

Those who are liberal, politically, score somewhat lower in politeness than conservatives (the

opposite pattern is seen with compassion).

Women are higher in politeness than men. The mean percentile for women in a general
population (women and men) is 59. For men it is 41.
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Conscientiousness: Moderately Low

You are moderately low in conscientiousness, which is the primary dimension of dutiful

achievement in the Big Five personality trait scientific model.

Your score puts you at the 31st percentile for conscientiousness. If you were one of 100
people in a room, you would be lower in conscientiousness than 68 of them and higher in

conscientiousness than 31 of them.

Conscientiousness
Moderately Low
31

Conscientiousness is a measure of obligation, attention to detail, hard work, persistence,

cleanliness, efficiency and adherence to rules, standards and processes. Conscientious people

implement their plans and establish and maintain order. The two aspects of
conscientiousness are industriousness and orderliness.
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People moderately low in conscientiousness are not particularly dutiful. They are by no means

sloggers. They will only work hard if pushed, and don’t mind wasting time. They are quite likely

to procrastinate (particularly if they are also above average in neuroticism). If people with
moderately low levels of conscientiousness commit to doing something, there is a good

chance they will be late, or delayed, even if there isn’t much reason for it. They tend to find

and deliver excuses for their failure under such circumstances. They are not markedly
decisive, neat, organized, future-oriented, or reliable, and they find themselves easily

distracted.

People with moderately low levels of conscientiousness are less likely to obtain higher grades

in academic settings (particularly if they are also less intelligent), and generally require
substantial supervision to stay on task. For this reason, they make less than optimal managers

and administrators. They do not feel compelled to do things by the book, however. This can

perhaps be an advantage if they are engaged in creative tasks, where rules must be broken
for advancement to take place. They are unlikely to make career accomplishment a primary

goal, turning instead to pursuit of safety and security (if high in neuroticism), creative
accomplishment (if high in openness), establishment of intimate relationships and friendships

(if highly agreeable), or social success, excitement and fun (if extraverted).

People moderately low in conscientiousness tend to be relatively free of guilt, shame, self-

disgust and self-contempt. Other people, however, may react negatively to their tendency to
slack off (particularly if those other people are disagreeable and conscientious).
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Individuals who are moderately low in conscientiousness are not particularly concerned by

failure. They are not judgmental, to themselves or others, and tend towards situational

explanations for disappointment, frustration or lack of success. They can handle periods of
inactivity and unemployment with relative ease. They tend to downplay the relationship

between hard work, diligence and success, believing that chance factors and luck in life play a

determining role. They live, in large part, for leisure and very much look forward to time off.
They can be good at relaxing, and living in the moment (particularly when low in neuroticism).

They are less concerned than average with cleaning, moral purity and achievement. It’s more

fun to be at the beach or at a party with a person moderately low in conscientiousness – but
you might not want to invite them over on moving day.

People moderately low in conscientiousness are more likely to be political liberals rather than

conservatives. This is particularly true if they are also high in openness.

Women are very slightly more conscientious than men. The mean percentile for women in a

general population (women and men) is 51.5. For men it is 49.5.

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Industriousness: Moderately Low

You are moderately low in industriousness. Industriousness is an aspect of conscientiousness.

The other aspect of conscientiousness is orderliness.

Your score puts you at the 32nd percentile for industriousness. If you were one of 100 people

in a room, you would be lower in industriousness than 67 of them and higher in

industriousness than 32 of them.

Industriousness
Moderately Low
32

People who are lower in industriousness are less likely to be successful in school and in
administrative and managerial positions (particularly if they are also less intelligent). If they are

highly intelligent, they are likely to be regarded as underachievers.

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They don’t focus on work as much as others and are more likely to procrastinate, miss

deadlines, or fail to complete assignments or projects completely. They have a tendency to put

off responsibilities, concentrating more on fun, worry, relationships, excitement or creative

endeavour. They aren’t particularly concerned with schedules, timelines or efficiency, and may

have to be supervised excessively before their tasks will be completed. They lack focus and are

easily distracted.

People moderately low in industriousness are not judgmental to themselves or others. They
tend to let people, including themselves, off the hook. They are less likely to believe that

people fail because they don’t apply themselves or work hard, assuming that chance and luck

play the determining roles. They are not prone to guilt, self-disgust or self-contempt, and have
a laissez-faire, whatever-will-be-will-be attitude toward life.

Those who are liberal and those who are conservative appear equally industrious.

Men are slightly more industrious than women. The mean percentile for men in a general

population (women and men) is 51.5. For women it is 49.5.

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Orderliness: Moderately Low

You are moderately low in orderliness. Orderliness is an aspect of conscientiousness. The

other aspect of conscientiousness is industriousness.

Your score puts you at the 36th percentile for orderliness. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be lower in orderliness than 63 of them and higher in orderliness than 36 of
them.

Orderliness
Moderately Low
36

People moderately low in orderliness are neither disturbed nor disgusted by mess and chaos.
They tend simply not to notice such things. They see the world in shades of grey, rather than

black and white, and are non-judgmental in their attitudes toward themselves and others.
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They rarely use schedules, list, or routines and, even if they plan, tend not to implement those

plans, preferring to take things as they come, and let chance determine the outcome. They are

not oriented toward detail and take neither rules nor procedures too seriously.

People who are moderately low in orderliness care less than average for routine and
predictability. Their schedules are loose and disruption doesn’t bother them. They require

almost constant reminder and supervision to maintain attention and focus, and are easily

distracted. They can, however, tolerate the mess, disruption and intervening periods of chaos
that may accompany creative endeavour.

Those who are below average in orderliness are less likely to be political conservatives.

Orderliness is the second-best predictor of conservatism, after openness.

Women are more orderly than men. The mean percentile for women in a general population

(women and men) is 54.5. For men it is 45.5. This may account for some of the trouble in
relation to housework between women and men. Since women are, on average, more orderly,

household disorder will trigger disgust and discomfort in them faster. This may happen with
sufficient frequency so they end up doing a disproportionate share of such work (even though

if they waited a bit longer their less orderly partners, often men, might end up equally

troubled and motivated to fix the problem). Orderly people are more likely to have items such
as event calendars, drawer organizers, laundry baskets, irons and ironing boards in their

immediate environments.
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Extraversion: Very Low

You are very low in extraversion, which is the primary dimension of positive emotion in the Big

Five personality trait scientific model. Extraversion is a measure of general sensitivity to

positive emotions such as hope, joy, anticipation and approach, particularly in social

situations. The two aspects of extraversion are enthusiasm and assertiveness.

Your score puts you at the 9th percentile for extraversion. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be lower in extraversion than 90 of them and higher in extraversion than 9
of them.

Extraversion
Very Low
9

Since extraversion and introversion are poles that denote the ends of the spectrum for this
trait, you can also think of yourself as very introverted.
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People with very low levels of extraversion are strikingly less enthusiastic, talkative, assertive in

social situations, or gregarious. They find social contact rapidly draining and tiring, and crave

time alone to recharge. They are very much less likely to plan parties, tell jokes, make people
laugh, or volunteer for community activities. They are much more likely to be depressed and

to have lower levels of self-esteem (particularly if they are high in neuroticism). They tend to be

somewhat pessimistic about the past, present and future.

People very low in extraversion keep things to themselves, feeling no compulsion to share
their general thoughts with other people. They are not self-disclosing, either, and warm up

slowly to other people. They are uncomfortable with group-oriented situations, much

preferring one-to-one interactions. They are very much less likely to speak up in meetings, will
rarely speak first, and generally must be prodded for an opinion. They are strikingly less likely

to captivate and convince, especially in groups, and will very rarely be the first to act in an

ambiguous situation.

Those very low in extraversion are uncommonly suited to occupations that require working
alone or with a few other well-known individuals (such as computer programming or

accounting). Jobs involving sales, persuasion, working in groups and public speaking do not
appeal to them, and they are likely to be unsuccessful at such things (particularly if they are

also high in neuroticism and/or low in conscientiousness).

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People very low in extraversion are rarely impulsive, even when offered the opportunity to do

something particularly exciting or fun. They are not at all likely, therefore, to sacrifice the

future to the present, when something social or group-oriented beckons. They would much
rather be alone to study and work. They do not find opportunities to chat, joke and socialize

distracting. This is particularly the case if they are also high in conscientiousness. However,

when people are very introverted and conscientious, they are less productive than when
extraverted and conscientious, perhaps because they have lower levels of energy. When very

introverted and comparatively unconscientious, however, they are more productive than

when extraverted and unconscientious.

People very low in extraversion are much less dominant in social situations, particularly when
they are also low in agreeableness. Less agreeable extraverts tend to be self-centered –

something that can be made worse if they are also low in conscientiousness. Uncommonly

introverted people are protected against such tendencies.

Those who are politically liberal are slightly less extraverted than conservatives.

Women are slightly more extraverted than men. The mean percentile for women in a general

population (women and men) is 52. For men it is 48.

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Enthusiasm: Low

You are low in enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is an aspect of extraversion. The other aspect of

extraversion is assertiveness.

Your score puts you at the 13th percentile for enthusiasm. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be lower in enthusiasm than 86 of them and higher in enthusiasm than 13 of
them.

Enthusiasm
Low
13

Individuals who are low in enthusiasm are not excitable. They are also much less easy to get to
know, as they are not chatty or bubbly. When they do talk, it tends to be about things in which

they find particular interest.

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They open up to other people with some difficulty, particularly in larger social gatherings or

parties. They laugh much more rarely than others. They prefer solitude and, although they

can enjoy themselves around other people, it has to be in small doses. They are much more
private people, and are not markedly positive or optimistic. They avoid the spotlight and, if

creative, may find performing much less desirable and draining. They rarely seek out

stimulation, excitement, activity or fun (and, if they do so, prefer quieter activities). People low
in enthusiasm are not gregarious or people-loving, and find it more difficult to generate a felt

sense of excitement when offered the opportunity to engage in something that others might

find engaging or entertaining.

Enthusiasm is not strongly associated with political preference, either conservative or liberal.

Women are higher in enthusiasm than men. The mean percentile for women in a general
population (women and men) is 55. For men it is 45.
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Assertiveness: Low

You are low in assertiveness. Assertiveness is an aspect of extraversion. The other aspect of

extraversion is enthusiasm.

Your score puts you at the 12th percentile for assertiveness. If you were one of 100 people in

a room, you would be lower in assertiveness than 87 of them and higher in assertiveness than
12 of them.

Assertiveness
Low
12

People low in assertiveness are not known to be “take charge” types. They put their own
opinions forward rarely and with reservation, and do not typically attempt to dominate and

control social situations. Such people tend not to be captivating in social groups.
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They manifest much less of the communication style that is often associated with leadership.

This can be a handicap when they are knowledgeable, competent and able, but causes less

trouble when they aren’t. Those low in assertiveness are much less likely to be people of
spontaneous action. They don’t leap in heedlessly and, in consequence, tend to allow others

to lead the way. They are much less impulsive, in consequence, and hardly ever act without

thinking.

Liberals tend to be slightly less assertive than conservatives.

Women are slightly less assertive than men. The mean percentile for women in a general
population (women and men) is 48. For men it is 52.
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Neuroticism: Moderately High

You are moderately high in neuroticism, which is the primary dimension of negative emotion

in the Big Five personality trait scientific model. Neuroticism is a measure of general sensitivity
to negative emotions such as pain, sadness, irritable or defensive anger, fear and anxiety. The

two aspects of neuroticism are withdrawal and volatility.

Your score puts you at the 67th percentile for neuroticism. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be higher in neuroticism than 67 of them and lower in neuroticism than 32 of
them.

67 Neuroticism Moderately High

People with moderately high levels of neuroticism are somewhat more likely to think that
things have gone wrong in the past, are going wrong now, and will continue to go wrong into

the future.
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They are also a bit more likely to be unhappy, anxious and irritable when just thinking or

remembering, and when they encounter a genuine problem. They have lower than average

levels of self-esteem, particularly when they are also low in extraversion. Neuroticism is a risk
factor for anxiety disorders and depression.

Moderately high levels of neuroticism may interfere somewhat with both success and

satisfaction in relationships and career, with the strongest effect on relationships. Moderately

high levels of neuroticism are associated with slightly more concern about mental and physical
health, as well as more physician and emergency room visits, and higher than average levels of

absenteeism at work and at school (particularly if accompanied by below average levels of

conscientiousness).

People with moderately high levels of neuroticism appear to be somewhat risk-averse, which
means they will be less likely to pursue or enjoy recreational, career, financial and social

situations where the possibility of loss is high. Such people appear to be concerned with

maintaining their current status, rather than enhancing it. Perhaps this is a good strategy in
genuinely dangerous or uncertain times.
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Neuroticism is not a powerful predictor of political belief, either conservative or liberal.

Females tend to be higher in neuroticism than males. The typical woman is higher in

neuroticism than 60% of the general population of men and women combined. In part, this

may be why women report more unhappiness in their relationships, at work, in school and
with their health than men, on average, and why women initiate 70% of all divorces. This

difference in neuroticism between men and women appears to emerge at puberty. It is largest

in countries such as Norway and Sweden, where the most has been done to ensure equality
of outcome between the sexes. This provides strong evidence that biological factors rather

than environment and learning account for the dissimilarity.

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Withdrawal: Typical or Average

You are typical or average in withdrawal. Withdrawal is an aspect of neuroticism. The other

aspect of neuroticism is volatility.

Your score puts you at the 52nd percentile for withdrawal. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be higher in withdrawal than 52 of them and lower in withdrawal than 47 of
them.

52 Withdrawal
Typical or Average

Individuals average in withdrawal may occasionally suffer from anticipatory anxiety, but are
generally not impeded by it. They can handle new, uncertain, unexpected, threatening or

complex situations quite well. They are not more likely to avoid or withdraw in the face of the

unknown and unexpected.

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People with average levels of withdrawal sometimes feel sad, lonesome, disappointed and

grief-stricken, but not too deeply, and not for too long. They experience normal levels of doubt

and worry, embarrassment, self-consciousness and discouragement in the face of threat and
punishment. They are reasonably but not excessively sensitive to social rejection, and don’t

feel hurt too easily. Even when hurt, frightened, or anxious, they can recover in a reasonable

amount of time. People with typical levels of withdrawal are not particularly concerned that
something bad is going to happen. Technically, withdrawal has been associated with activity in

the brain systems that regulate passive avoidance.

Those who are liberal, politically, are slightly higher in withdrawal than conservatives.

Women are higher in withdrawal than men. The mean percentile for women in a general

population (women and men) is 60. For men it is 40.

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Volatility: Moderately High

You are moderately high in volatility. Volatility is an aspect of neuroticism. The other aspect of

neuroticism is withdrawal.

Your score puts you at the 77th percentile for volatility. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be higher in volatility than 77 of them and lower in volatility than 22 of them.

77 Volatility Moderately High

Individuals moderately high in volatility tend to vary somewhat in their mood. They can be

more irritable than the typical person, feeling disappointment, frustration, pain and social
isolation somewhat more easily.
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They are somewhat more likely to act out or verbally express their frustration, disappointment

and irritability. When stirred up and upset or angry or irritated, they can take longer to calm

down. They are more argumentative than average and can lose their composure. They can
sometimes be provocative in a dispute (particularly if also low in agreeableness).

Volatile people tend to get upset if something bad does happen, while people high in

withdrawal (the other aspect of neuroticism) tend to be concerned that something bad might

happen. Technically, volatility has been associated with activity in the brain systems that
regulate fight, flight or freeze.

Volatility is not strongly related to political preference, either liberal or conservative.

Women are higher in volatility than men. The mean percentile for women in a general

population (women and men) is 57.5. For men it is 42.5.

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Openness: High

You are high in openness, which is the primary dimension of creativity, artistic interest and

intelligence (particularly verbal intelligence) in the Big Five personality trait scientific model.
Openness is a measure of interest in novelty, art, literature, abstract thinking, philosophy as

well as sensitivity to aesthetic emotions and beauty. The two aspects of openness are intellect

and aesthetics.

Your score puts you at the 89th percentile for openness. If you were one of 100 people in a
room, you would be higher in openness than 89 of them and lower in openness than 10 of

them.

89 Openness High

People with high levels of openness are much more likely than average to be characterized by

others as smart, creative, exploratory, intelligent and visionary.

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They are highly interested in learning, and continually acquire new abilities and skills. They are

very curious and exploratory. They find themselves unusually interested in abstract thinking,

philosophy, and the meaning of belief systems and ideologies. They will seek out cultural
events such as movies, concerts, dance recitals, plays, poetry readings, gallery openings and

art shows. They are very likely to enjoy writing (or even to be driven to write). They enjoy

complex, abstract ideas and love to confront and solve complex, abstract and multi-
dimensional problems.

They are very likely to be prolific readers, with a strikingly wide range of interests. They have

an atypically broad and deep vocabulary. They can think and learn very quickly. They are very

proficient at formulating new ideas, and tend strongly to be articulate (particularly if average
or above in extraversion). People high in openness can see old things in new ways. They can

formulate any single problem in a highly diverse range of ways, and can generate a very large

number of problem-solving solutions. They seek change, often to make things better, but also
just for the sake of change.

People who are high in openness are less well adapted to and tend to do less well in situations

or occupations that are routinized and predictable. They do not fit in very well at the bottom of
hierarchies. They are typically ill-suited to entry-level, repetitive, rote positions, because they

are always thinking up new ways to do things, and such ideas are seldom welcome from

someone at the bottom. They are radical thinkers. They shake things up, particularly if they
are also disagreeable and assertive. They are somewhat more likely to be revolutionary rebels

(particularly if average or below in conscientiousness).

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Individuals high in openness tend strongly to be entrepreneurial in spirit, as well as smart and

creative. They have much higher than average interest in creating new ventures, sometimes

for profit, sometimes for curiosity, and sometimes for personal transformation. High levels of
openness appear necessary to the formation and leadership of business and other forms of

complex organization, although conscientiousness appears required for the attention to detail

and process management that such organizations also always need.

Because people who are high in openness tend to be interested in almost everything, this can
make it harder for them to settle on a single path in life, to specialize to a necessary degree,

and to create an integrated identity. This problem can be exaggerated if they are high in

neuroticism and/or low in conscientiousness. People characterized by the combination of high

openness and high neuroticism often undermine their own convictions and beliefs by

questioning and making themselves lost and anxious. Open, unconscientious people tend to

be “under-achievers” (particularly if also above average in neuroticism). Such people appear to

have the capability to succeed, can learn quickly, and are creative, but they can have some

trouble implementing their ideas.

Openness is the dimension that best predicts political allegiance (with conscientiousness,
particularly the aspect of orderliness, coming in at second place). Those who are liberal,

politically, are very much more likely to be high in openness than conservatives.

Women and men differ very little in openness at the trait level, although there are differences

in the aspect levels.

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Intellect: Moderately High

You are moderately high in intellect. Intellect is an aspect of openness. The other aspect of

openness is aesthetics.

Your score puts you at the 67th percentile for intellect. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be higher in intellect than 67 of them and lower in intellect than 32 of them.

67 Intellect Moderately High

Note: Do not confuse the personality aspect of Intellect with IQ. Intellect is a measure of

interest in abstract ideas, essentially, while IQ is a measure of processing speed, verbal ability,
working memory, and problem solving capacity, and is better measured with a formal IQ test.

It is perfectly possible to have a high IQ and a low score on the personality trait of Intellect.
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People moderately high in intellect tend to be quite interested in ideas and abstract concepts.

They often enjoy being confronted with novel information, even when it is complex. They tend

to be more curious and exploratory than average, and frequently like to tackle and solve
problems. They will actively engage in issue-oriented discussions, and tend to read idea-

centered books (most frequently non-fiction). They tend to be quite articulate and can

formulate ideas reasonably clearly and quickly (particularly if average or higher in

extraversion). They have a wider vocabulary, and like to learn new things. People moderately

high in intellect will seek out and generate novel, creative concepts and actively find and adapt

well to new experiences and situations.

People moderately high in intellect tend to find complex, rapidly changing occupations to their
liking and are likely to do well at them (particularly if they are also high in conscientiousness

and low in neuroticism). However, they are less well-suited to stable, straightforward and

more traditional occupations, where the rules don't change, and are likely to experience
frequent periods of boredom in such positions.

Liberals are higher in intellect than conservatives (although the biggest difference between the

two is openness at the trait level).

Women are lower than men in intellect (although not in IQ). This is probably a difference in
interest: people high in intellect, compared to aesthetics, are more likely to prefer the sciences

to the arts. The mean percentile for women in a general population (women and men) is 45.

For men it is 55.

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Aesthetics: Very High

You are very high in aesthetics. Aesthetics is an aspect of openness. The other aspect of

openness is intellect.

Your score puts you at the 95th percentile for aesthetics. If you were one of 100 people in a

room, you would be higher in aesthetics than 95 of them and lower in aesthetics than 4 of
them.

95 Aesthetics Very High

In the original Big Five Aspects Scale model, the openness factor was entitled "Openness to
Experience," and its aspects were called "Intellect" and "Openness". For the sake of clarity, we

have deviated from this, and use "Openness" or "Openness to Experience" to refer to the

factor level trait and "Intellect" and "Aesthetics" to refer to its aspects.
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Generally speaking, a person's aesthetics score reflects their creativity. People who are very

high in aesthetics love beauty. They require an outlet for their creative ability, or they cannot

thrive. They need to be surrounded by art or beautiful crafts. They are strikingly sensitive to
color and architectural form. They very much like to collect things, now and then to the point

of obsession. They are very imaginative, and love to daydream and reflect on things. They are

uncommonly affected by music, often of many genres, and may be musical or artistic
themselves (both of these are rare in the general population). They can get unusually

immersed in a book, or a movie, or in their own thoughts, and become oblivious to the outside

world. They respond very strongly to beauty, creativity and art.

They can be impractical and flighty, however (particularly if low in conscientiousness). It can be
extremely difficult to transform creativity into money, or into a career. High levels of creativity

are, furthermore, necessary for entrepreneurial success, and often prove useful at the top of

hierarchies, even in very conservative occupations such as banking, accounting and law, which
need creative people in leadership positions to provide new vision and direction.

Liberals are higher in aesthetics than conservatives (although the biggest difference between

the two is openness at the trait level).

Women are higher in aesthetics than men. The mean percentile for women in a general
population (women and men) is 56.5. For men it is 44.5.