November 2008 Archives

By now you're probably aware that this site is based on the Big Five model of personality. This globally validated theory argues that everyone ranges from low to high on five basic traits. We've altered things a bit to display them like this on our bubblegraphs:

• Conscientiousness is displayed as Disciplined vs. Casual
• Openness to Experience is displayed as Alternative vs. Traditional
• Neuroticism is displayed as Neurotic vs. Unemotional
• Agreableness is displayed as Cooperative vs. Competitive
• Extraversion is displayed as Extraverted vs. Introverted

Part of the reason for our creative license is the subject of this blog: What, if anything, is the good way to be? We want to aruge that "goodness" and "badness" can be found under all 10 bubbles. That is to say, regardless how you score, you can be a saint or a sinner. But the specific form your good or bad deeds take is, like most of your behavior, influenced by your personality.

The Big Five traits are argued to be free of positive and negative connotations. This is why we chose them for YouJustGetMe, because this site is about understanding (yourself, others, and how they see you) rather than judging (like HotOrNot.com).

But now that over 12,000 people having made over 19,000 ratings on YouJustGetMe, we're starting to believe that the Big Five traits do indeed carry a little baggage. Read our blog titled The Flattery Graph where we argue that many people want to be Disciplined, Alternative, Unemotional, Cooperative and Extraverted, and to believe that others are that way too.

So in a purely qualitative, hypothetical way, we wanted to brainstorm ways that people with those bubbles can in fact be "bad," and also ways that people with the opposite bubbles can be "good." This is pure conjecture meant to stimulate conversation, but it's based on Goldberg's IPIP and Dr. Peggy's equal-opportunity honesty. So here we go.

• Disciplined Saints actually get things done. Others can rely on them, and they've carried many a group-project so everyone can get paid or a good grade.
• Disciplined Sinners block things off too much, restricting themselves and others in a systematic grid. And sometimes being too neat or too thorough slows everyone down.
• Casual Saints help everyone relax now and then or at least know someone who is relaxed. They loosen things up and shake things up and question duties so others can innovate or figure out ways to make things easier.
• Casual Sinners always ask you to re-send emails you only sent yesterday because they're so disorganized they can't find them. They are late to your dinner parties or don't show up at all.
• Alternative Saints aren't afraid to be brainy or artsy or to question the status quo.
• Alternative Sinners are so wishy-washy they can't make a commitment or take a stand.
• Traditional Saints help us hold on to a good way of doing things even if it's old fashioned. Without them there would be no continuity from the past to the future.
• Traditional Sinners get stuck in their ways even when a better alternative is out there. They're still baking potatoes in the oven rather than nuking them.
• Neurotic Saints keep a lookout for dragons so others don't have to. They're honest about the ways things really do suck.
• Neurotic Sinners always come up with an excuse why people shouldn't take a risk. Even if it's just leaving the house.
• Unemotional Saints are everyone's rock. They're the people you want to visit you in the hospital or tell you an IRS audit might actually be fun.
• Unemotional Sinners sometimes don't validate you when you're freaking out. Rather than tell you they understand, they keep telling you too look on the bright side. Rose colored classes.
• Cooperative Saints take time out to organize baby showers and birthdays and going-away parties. Because they think of others first all the time they make fond memories for others.
• Cooperative Sinners limit Competitive Saints. They shy away from productive debates and are sometimes complete doormats.
• Competitive Saints live life in their own arena football stadium. They're the ones duking it out on the floor of congress, in the courtrooms, and among high-tech companies to win trophies for all - but with their name on it.
• Competitive Sinners dispense with the rules of war, sportsmanship, and even manners to win at all costs. At their worst they're just plain mean.
• Extraverted Saints bring fun and risk to everyone. Your home-videos of your parties and vacations or weddings would be really boring without them. At the very least you can count on them to fill up the empty dance floors and the dead spots in the conversation.
• Extraverted Sinners make too many friends to follow-through with. They're acquainted to everyone but a rock to no one. And dang do they blabber.
• Introverted Saints are either writing the poetry you love or holing up in a windowseat reading your poetry. And they're comfortable with silence. If you had to take a 12 hour drive with someone, sometimes you'd prefer it to be an Introvert than an Extravert.
• Introverted Sinners are a bit too much of a homebody, at risk for agoraphobia. Sometimes talking with them is like pulling teeth because they would rather bleed to death than disclose something about themselves.

Perhaps it's no suprise we've defined "good" and "bad" in a social way: your impact on others. But regardless what your bubblegraph shows, don't be so glum - or so smug. The Big Five doesn't tell you whether you're going to heaven or hell, although it might predict how you'll get there. Thoughts?