Introduction
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A few years ago (WOW!), I taught you about using Interpersonal Circumplex Theory to create unique personalities for your characters. If you didn’t vibe with that one or are just looking for another alternative to the typical online tests, I’m going to teach you another personality theory, the Five Factor Model. You don’t have to be an expert to understand the basics of the FFM and use it to create realistic characters.
This model is nice because it was developed from the language people typically use to describe themselves, which was then empirically studied, so not only is it evidence-based, but it’s also pretty intuitive compared to some theories. It’s one of the best studied, best validated, most-used personality tests by actual psychologists.
The Big Five
Often referred to as “The Big Five,” the Five Factor Model of personality breaks down replicable personality traits (that is, traits that consistently vary across humans that can be reliably measured) into five big traits. It’s also called the OCEAN model for reasons that hopefully will become obvious.
The wiki is actually pretty decent, so I’ll link there to save you the $100 on a personality psych textbook. Simply Psychology has a nice chart showing what it means to be low and high on each trait. Psychology Today has a great article with links on each trait if you want to do a deep dive. I’ve also broken them down below.
The Traits
O: Openness to Experience: “measures creativity, curiosity, and willingness to entertain new ideas”
People high on this trait love trying new things, love art/music/literature, are open-minded, might even be up for something illegal (e.g. drugs)
People low on this trait hate trying new things, tend to stick to what they know, and don’t like to change their minds, tend to be conservative
C: Conscientiousness: “measures self-control, diligence, and attention to detail”
People high on this trait are very controlled, are hard workers, and tend to get small things right; very high are workaholics
People low on this trait dislike work and toil, tend to be big-picture people, and tend to be impulsive; very low are lazy
E: Extroversion: “measures boldness, energy, and social interactivity”
People high on these traits are energetic and assertive, love being around people, and take risks; very high are socialites
People low on this trait tend to be low-energy and passive, get tired from being around people, and like things to be stable and safe; very low are loners
A: Agreeableness: “measures kindness, helpfulness, and willingness to cooperate”
People high on this trait are compassionate, love helping others, and value the group over themselves; very high are pushovers
People low on this trait are prickly, value their own needs over others, and tend to advocate for their own way in an argument; very low are hard to get along with
N: Neuroticism: “measures depression, irritability, and proneness to anxiety”
People high on this trait tend to be gloomy, irritable, anxious, and prone to negative emotions; very high have mental health disorders
People low on this trait tend to be sunny, chill, cool-headed, and prone to positive emotions; very low are super happy people, possibly even manic
(If you want to get even more granular, you can look at the subfacets that make up each trait in this handy chart.)
How it works
This is not a type model. Instead, it’s five spectra. You get a score from 0 (low trait) to 100 (high trait) on each factor. Your score tells you how much of that trait you typically express. Unfortunately, the truly valid test to take this (the NEO-PI-R) isn’t free, but if we’re talking about characters here, you can use what you know about the traits and their subtraits to think about where your characters would fall.
Examples
Let’s use our old friends Anne of Green Gables, Jafar, Robin Hood, and Eeyore. I have made these a little more extreme than they probably would be as examples; most people don’t fall on these extremes, but I chose extreme characters.
TOP LEFT: Jafar is outgoing but very antagonistic towards others. He’s pretty conscientious though; he pays attentions to details, which is how he knows how to manipulate people. He’s high on negative emotions like anger. He’s open to new experiences, good food, good wine, indulging himself.
TOP RIGHT: Anne of Green Gables is very outgoing. She loves other people, but unlike Jafar, she’s very agreeable; she’ll defer her own pleasure to make others happy. She’s very conscientious and diligent, a hard worker. Very prone to positive emotions. Pretty open; she’s not out here doing LSD, but she definitely likes new things.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Robin Hood is outgoing like Anne but less agreeable. He’ll stick up for himself more. He’s more spontaneous, too; he’s a big picture guy and doesn’t always focus on the small details. He’s pretty happy and a little more open than Anne, willing to try new things and even illegal things.
BOTTOM LEFT: Eeyore is on his own wavelength again. He’s very introverted. He is agreeable, however, very passive and willing to let others take the lead. He’s also pretty conscientious when he’s not moping. But unlike the others ,he’s very high in negative emotions, particularly depression. He’s also not open to experience at all and has to be coaxed into it.
In conclusion
So, there you have it. The Five Factor Model of personality! If you want to start thinking about your characters in a scientific way, the Big Five is one of the best ways to start. As with everything, take what resonates and leave the rest. You’re not making hiring decisions, you’re inventing people, so the important thing is that it gets your creativity flowing.
Thanks for reading! Where does your MC fall on the Big Five?
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C.J.’s Corner
Get to know me and what I’m up to. Read it all or skip to your favorite section. (Links work only in web version.)
I’m writing:
Watch this space. Things are moving…slowly.
I'm querying my adult contemporary horror novel, And the Dark Will Know My Name. For a full pitch, check out the new section of my website.
The Enter Here anthology has been released! We finally got our physical copies in and they’ve been arriving to Kickstarter supporters. Didn't do the Kickstarter? No worries. Get it here! If you are a reviewer with a site or booktok or whatnot and would like a free review copy, contact us at enterhereanthology(at)gmail(dot)com.
I have been writing Miracle Girl, a contemporary horror novel about a woman possessed by her dead sister and a defrocked priest with nothing to lose. As of writing this post, I’m at 34k after about a month working on it, which is wild to me. I didn’t think 100 words a day would get me this far.
I’m reading:
I'm working on reading one thing at a time. I know, how weird.
The Knight and the Moth - Rachel Gillig | The Changeling - Victor LaValle |
|---|---|
My non-writer friend begged me to read this. I'm loving the organic worldbuilding, gorgeous prose, and cheeky narration style. Plus some horror elements! Back on my fantasy bullshit. I’m more than halfway through this one and the worldbuilding is just, omg. | I’ve wanted to read this a while. I’m like 20-30% in, there’s not even any horror yet, and I’m super compelled. Like, I was seriously vibrating reading some of the stressful personal scenes. I can’t wait to get to the supernatural stuff! |
Two secret beta projects. Hehe.
I’m watching:
I'm getting back into horror movies!
The Cleansing Hour: This was fun! And a little silly (on purpose) but also kind of meaningful in other ways. It’s about two YouTubers who have a fake exorcism racket going (one pretends to be a priest) for views and merch sales. Obviously things go wrong, and when they do, it gets pretty gory. The special and practical effects are great and there are lots of surprises, especially that ending.
My Bloody Valentine: The original 1981 slasher. It’s very Canadian and fun and just well-crafted. The gang’s bad decisions actually seem to make sense, which makes the slashing even more horrifying. It’s a bit ridiculous, but it delivered exactly what I wanted for my Valentine’s viewing.
I’m listening:
My writer friend Lex Duncan got me into Spiritbox and Ice Nine Kills. I've been listening to INK's The Silver Scream (yes, I finally changed albums).
I’m playing:
My video game brain is so dead. Stand by.
I’m doing:
More crochet! In addition to my wizard frog which is still in progress, I did most of a hat for a friend, and then I started a single crochet chevron blanket in this pretty dark seafoam green and gray. Stand by for, you know, progress. Literally the chaining of 340+15 stitches plus half the first row took me two and a half hours. I’d show you but it mostly looks like a noodle at this point.
Seafoam green and dark gray skeins of yarn
I've also been doing a lot of art. I'm working on hair and rendering. If you want to check out more of my art, you can look at my Cara portfolio.
