Blog
Plain writing on personality, with the receipts.
Essays on the Big Five, MBTI, and how to read your own results without turning a trait score into an identity.
Ambitious: Meaning, Definition, and the Achievement-Striving Trait
Ambitious means aiming high and doing the work. What the Achievement-Striving facet of Conscientiousness measures, and why ambition is not perfectionism.
5 min readBig Five
High Energy Person: Meaning, and the Activity Level Trait
Being called a high energy person is a comment on tempo, not drive. What Activity Level measures inside Extraversion, what the slow end is good at, and what it is not.
4 min readBig Five
Adventurous: Meaning, Definition, and the Openness Facet
Adventurous means an appetite for the unfamiliar, not a taste for danger. What the Adventurousness facet of Openness measures, and why it is not thrill-seeking.
5 min readBig Five
Altruism: What It Means, and Why It Is Not People-Pleasing
Altruistic means taking real satisfaction in helping people. What the Altruism facet of Agreeableness measures, where the low end wins, and why it is not people-pleasing.
5 min readBig Five
Aesthetic Sensitivity: Meaning, and the Artistic Interests Facet
Aesthetic sensitivity is how hard beauty lands on you, not how much you know about art. What Artistic Interests measures in Openness, and what a low score is not.
4 min readBig Five
Assertive: Meaning, Definition, and the Assertiveness Trait
Assertive means taking the lead and stating a position. What the Assertiveness facet of Extraversion measures, what its low end is worth, and why it is not aggression.
5 min readBig Five
Can Attachment Styles Change? What Trait Stability Says About It
Attachment styles do change — slowly, and at roughly the pace personality traits move. What the longitudinal evidence shows for anxious and avoidant attachment.
9 min readTraits
Cautious: Meaning, Definition, and the Cautiousness Trait
Cautious means weighing consequences before you act. What the Cautiousness facet of Conscientiousness measures, what its low end is good for, and why it is not anxiety.
5 min readBig Five
Cheerful: Meaning, Definition, and the Cheerfulness Facet
Cheerful means the good feelings fire easily and often. What the Cheerfulness facet of Extraversion measures, and why it is a different dial from low Neuroticism.
5 min readBig Five
Cooperative: Meaning, Definition, and the Cooperation Trait
Cooperative means preferring a solution both sides can live with. What the Cooperation facet of Agreeableness measures, and how it differs from conflict avoidance.
5 min readBig Five
Dutiful: Meaning, Definition, and the Dutifulness Trait
Dutiful means guided by an internal sense of obligation. What the Dutifulness facet of Conscientiousness measures, both poles, and why dutiful is not obedient.
4 min readBig Five
Emotionality: Meaning, Definition, and the Openness Facet
Emotionality is awareness of your feelings as information. What the Openness facet measures, what each pole looks like, and why HEXACO Emotionality is a different trait.
5 min readBig Five
Even-Tempered: Meaning, Definition, and the Anger Facet
Even-tempered means slow to anger. What the Anger facet of Neuroticism measures, what both poles look like, and why a calm surface is not proof of a calm system.
5 min readBig Five
Thrill-Seeking: Meaning and the Excitement-Seeking Trait
Thrill-seeking means an appetite for intense stimulation. What the Excitement-Seeking facet of Extraversion measures, and where it really parts from adventurousness.
6 min readBig Five
Extrovert: Meaning, Definition, and the Three Misreads
Extrovert means high on Extraversion - social contact and stimulation pay out more, so you go looking for more. The definition, the spelling, and the three misreads.
7 min readBig Five
Friendliness: What It Means, and Why It Is Not Agreeableness
Friendly means warming to people fast and showing it. What the Friendliness facet of Extraversion measures, where the reserved low end wins, and why warm is not agreeable.
5 min readBig Five
Gregarious: Meaning, Definition, and the Gregariousness Trait
Gregarious means you seek out crowds and come away charged. What the Gregariousness facet of Extraversion measures, and how it differs from friendly and extroverted.
5 min readBig Five
Imagination: Meaning, Definition, and the Imaginative Mind
Imagination is what your mind runs when nothing demands attention. What the Openness facet measures, what its low end is good for, and why imaginative is not creative.
5 min readBig Five
Impulsive: Meaning, Definition, and the Immoderation Trait
Impulsive means acting on an urge before you have decided to. What the Immoderation facet of Neuroticism measures, why it sits there and not with self-control.
5 min readBig Five
Intellect: Meaning, Definition, and Why It Is Not IQ
Intellect is not intelligence, and the Big Five facet named after it proves it. What the Openness facet measures, where curiosity fits, and what both poles look like.
5 min readBig Five