Course 1, Discussion 2: The Big 5

I learned that I am very skeptical of these quizzes, haha. The "Big Five" is no diffrent. I like how they explicitly explain the statistics where "the percentile scores show you where you score on each personality dimension relative to other people, taking into account normal differences in gender and age." I also like how the five denominations came from analyzing the data collected after asking hundreds of questions to thousands of people.

I know that as an auADHD person, many of these answers could go one or both ways at any given time. So it was challenging not to pick a middle-ground answer for all the questions.

I scored very high on the open-mindedness trait, 99th percentile. Being open-minded is defined in this quiz as those who "tend to be original, creative, curious, [and] complex," which I would consider myself. This definition of openminded trait also states, "Low scorers tend to be conventional, down to earth, narrow interests, uncreative." Despite being at the highest score, I am also down to earth as I have no illusions regarding the separation between my imagination/ bias/ prejudices of the world and the reality of our current state. Unless they define down-to-earth differently, I will be researching this further.

As far as my conscientiousness dimension scored, I am "neither organized nor disorganized," which is a constant battle between my need for organization and my executive functioning differences compared to neurotypicals that make time management, planning and consistency/follow thorough so challenging. I constantly need help following time management strategies; keeping them up as a habit is nearly impossible because my need for novelty is high. As my demand avoidance or overwhelm takes over, I quickly procrastinate on these challenging tasks. I am learning to adapt these tools to my needs, but it is more complex than just buying a calendar or using a new organizing app. One thing that has significantly helped is employing an ADHD coach who takes care of the steps that are just not going to happen, paying to have my taxes/financial planning done, and relying on editing software; I know this is not accessible to most, as it has exponential costs associated with employing people who are basically like your life administrative staff.

I received a midpoint score for agreeableness, which stated "neither extremely forgiving nor irritable," which I would have said, "either going with the flow or extremely rigid." I understand that I am, at the core, a good person, though, and I tend to forgive easily since out-of-sight and out-of-mind also works for people. I recognize that some of my responses can come across as rude sometimes, as I am very blunt, which I correct as much as possible. I also know that when things change at the last min, I sometimes get overwhelmed, and I use sensory strategies in that case, such as noise-cancelling headphones.

My extraversion depends on how I am doing that day, and I need a lot of recovery time after difficult social situations. So, of course, I come across as outgoing, but I am also a homebody.

The last of this quiz's 'Big Five' is negative emotionality; my controversial self was all over this one. I am slightly over to the "tend to become anxious or nervous" category; however, when taking this quiz, I felt overwhelmed by my many obligations. So, I referred to my tracking data and saw that I only felt anxious enough to note it down as moderate to high anxiety 12% of the days in the last month. This self-collected data is essential because I struggle with negative experiences and frequently focus on what is going wrong. I will continue taking this as a means of self-reflection for this reason.

This long-winded answer is complex, but I have identified through taking the MBTI Personality Types and Big Five quizzes that my strengths shine through the inconsistencies. This experience only furthers my initiatives, such as tracking my mood (among other life aspects), relying on supports that negate challenges, and increasing my quality of life by taking my social/physical/mental well-being seriously.

@Hope

✒️ What were the main things you learned about yourself?

I learned that I scored high on open-mindedness, agreeableness and extravertedness. I learned that my semi-high scores were for neuroticism, lmbo. Which makes sense— as a complex trauma survivor, anxiety has always been my baseline, I’ve just gotten pretty decent at coping and support seeking. For conscientiousness/Disorganized, I placed pretty near the middle— I’m neurodivergent and I’m aware that I’m a bit all over the place so I need structure that is both rigid and open to flexibility for me to thrive and remain organized. But I truly can go either way— that’s why being aware of this has helped me develop professionally and even in my personal life.

✒️ What are your strengths as per the test and how can the strengths you identified on both tests help you in your personal life?

My strengths being identified in these tests seem to validate the sense of purpose I feel for all of the pathways I’ve been pursuit of and that I’m aligned intuitively with where I’m meant to be— especially in focusing on how I can help others.

@Hope I scored the highest in openness, it was 97%, everything else was mostly in the middle. This definitely aligns with the previous test its emphasis on intuitiveness.

@Hope

i learned that i am more open-minded than closed-minded.

some of my strengths are being extroverted & relaxed. these are able to help me in tough situations & keep myself calm when things aren't the best at the moment.

@Hope

✒️ What were the main things you learned about yourself?

The main thing I learned is my results changed from 2021.

• 2021 Results
• 2023 Results

✒️ What are your strengths as per the test and how can the strengths you identified on both tests help you in your personal life?

According to this test, my top 3 strengths are...

• I am critical. - This helps me see where things can be improved.
• I probably have a messy desk. - Messy in this context is what others see, but I see piles of organized reminders. For those with ADHD, if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, so I tend to forget stuff exists if I don’t see it.
• I am an introvert. - This helps me do behind the scenes work well alone.

@Hope

✒️ What were the main things you learned about yourself?

I learned that I'm an openminded person, but can be very anxious and worried.

✒️ What are your strengths as per the test and how can the strengths you identified on both tests help you in your personal life?

I'm openminded, somewhat disorganized, I enjoy being with others, I am supportive, and I get worried and anxious a lot. Knowing this will help me navigate obstacles in my life, knowing what my strengths and weaknesses are.

@Hope

What did I learn about myself: I don't think anything really surprised me, maybe that I'm open to new experiences which I am to some degree but I'm introverted (which I knew, lol) and I do typically shy away from new experiences with a lot of new people or new experiences that are thrilling (like rollar coasters lol)

What are your strengths as per the test and how can the strengths you identified on both tests help you in your personal life?

I was pretty middle of the road except I tend to be nervous or anxious, and as stated above I'm open to new experiences. I think the anxiousness and the fact that I'm an empath actuallly work together as I am able to better relate to members here.

@Hope

✒️ What were the main things you learned about yourself? I'm in the 94th percentile for open-mindedness but also 98th percentile on being unable to relax, haha

✒️ What are your strengths as per the test and how can the strengths you identified on both tests help you in your personal life? I definitely think my ability to be open-minded and agreeable is a net positive generally. It enables me to connect better with people and promote better understanding among people who may not have otherwise cared about understanding people different than them.

@Hope

1. I learned that I am one of the kindest and most sensitive person who take decisions based on their intuition.

2. My strengths are that I am empathetic, generous, open minded, creative, passionate, idealistic