Temperament & The Big 5

FROM PRES. BOYD K. PACKER: “I recently asked a doctor of family medicine how much of his time was devoted purely to correcting physical disorders. He has a large practice, and after thoughtfully considering, he answered, ‘Not more than 20 percent. The rest of the time I seem to be working on problems that very much affect the physical well-being of my patients but do not originate in the body.  ‘These physical disorders,’ the doctor concluded, ‘are merely symptoms of some other kind of trouble.’

“In recent generations one after another of the major diseases has yielded to control or cure. Some very major ones still remain, but we now seem able to do something about most of them.

"There is another part of us, not so tangible, but quite as real as our physical body.  This intangible part of us is described as mind, emotion, intellect, temperament, and many other things. Very seldom is it described as spiritual. But there is a spirit in man; to ignore it is to ignore reality. There are spiritual disorders, too, and spiritual diseases that can cause intense suffering.

“The body and the spirit of man are bound together. Often, very often, when there are disorders, it is very difficult to tell which is which” (Boyd K. Packer, New Era, August 1979).

How much of your personality is influenced by the pre-earth life?  Why would this be an important factor to consider?

BBC Child Of Our Time

A. Extroversion 

-James (Highest extroversion score): Born in a very poor place, makes friends quickly but also loses them quickly, loves being the center of attention, talks non-stop, likes to take control, throws himself into life, thrill-seeker.  Showed extroversion quite early.  Mom is also an extrovert (40% of extroversion is thought to come from our genes).  Home was always full of people and you had to be loud to be heard.  James' father wasn't in the picture very long and his mom found a new partner who was violent and stole from them and kidnapped James.  Family is forced to go to a women's refuge before being housed in a different area.
-Helena (Low extroversion score): Born in a more affluent place, calm, entertains herself, loves reading, sweet, confident, very good at making friends (but she doesn't need very many), born as a triplet four months early (her siblings both died).  Because she was born so early and had to be in intensive care for so long, she was raised in almost isolation for 3 years so that she wouldn't catch any sicknesses that could have killed her.  However, her parents gave her a lot of stimulation which encouraged brain development and a "rich inner world".  She became popular at school because she was sweet and friendly.  As she got older, she had a small group of very close friends.  After 13 years of marriage her parents divorce.  Her independent personality and close relationships with family and friends helps her cope with change.

*Introverts aren't necessarily shy.
*Introverts are more sensitive to stimulation.

*People who have gone through a traumatic event in childhood tend to score higher in extroversion.
*Extroverts are more likely to have grown up in a single-parent home (like James).
*Being an extrovert can be good in a violent environment where it pays to form alliances quickly.
*Extroverts' brains can tolerate more stimulation which makes them crave excitement and risk.
*Extroverts tend to look on the bright side.
*Women tend to be more extroverted by a very slight margin.

B. Agreeableness 

*The least inherited trait and most affected by what we learn and what happens to us.
*To score high, you need to work out how other people are feeling and you need to care.
*High scorers are usually kind, warm, and compassionate.

-Rianna: Seemed to score very high in agreeableness as a young child, but at age 10 she has the lowest score.  Gets angry quickly, "I will terrorize you if you get on the wrong side of me","she's not the passenger, she's the driver", she thought she was too nice when she was young and thinks that if you're too nice people will take advantage of you, her parents aren't afraid of conflict, comfortable sharing her opinion even if its contrary, likes to take care of things and nurture them but wont be anyone's doormat. 

*Scientists think that empathy takes a dip when children are near puberty.
*If you're the eldest child, your likely to be less agreeable than your younger siblings.
*Women are more agreeable than men.

Triplets (non-identical, only share about 50% of their genes)
Mable: High agreeableness, woke up at night as a baby and ended up cuddled in bed with mom, highest neuroticism score, 
Alice: Highest conscientiousness score, good at organizing, 
Pheobe: Highest in extroversion, 

*Because of their different temperaments, their parents had to interact with them in different ways.  Even though the parents want to treat them all the same, they cant because of their different temperaments.

Identical Twins (share 100% of their genes)
Alex: More artsy, 
Ivo: More distracted, not as much focus, 

C. Neuroticism: How we react to anxiety

*One of the traits most influenced by our genes
*High scorers can feel a lot of pressure when they are the center of attention
*High neuroticism=doesn't handle stress well.
*In some cases, stress can help you perform better in something you're good at.
*Neuroticism is vital to survival.  It keeps us away from things that would harm us.
* High neuroticism- hyper-vigilance: heightened response to threat 
*Women tend to be more neurotic.
*Single-parent children score higher by a slight margin.
*Most people get less anxious as they get older.

Paris: High neuroticism, low self-esteem, anxious and unsure when meeting new people (sometimes comes across as rude), panics at times, needs encouragement to stay on task, worried about making mistakes, hyper-vigilant because of his mom's disability, difficulty sleeping as a baby, cried often, needed lots of comfort, dealt with a lot of media/paparazzi due to his mom's fame for her artwork, having to rely on carers because of his mom's fame was a situation that he and his mother found stressful, emotional, passionate, sensitive to the needs of others, popular in class, has good friends, is on student council.

D. Contentiousness: Self-discipline, planning, organization

Rebecca: Highest contentiousness score, achievement is important to her, "practice makes perfect", her "perfectionist" nature is starting to effect her self-esteem, transfered to a different school and is now applying her planning to her social life
Ethan: Low contentiousness score, mom also has a low score (school is a low priority for both of them), mom doesn't really plan things, mom may have passed on restless temperament to Ethan, schoolwork that requires planning and restrain suffers, diagnosed with ADHD, feeds on rewards and positive feedback, dad is teaching him patience, contentiousness is improving.

*Women are more contentious than men.
*More contentious as we get older.
*High contentiousness makes it harder to think outside the box.

E. Openness: curiosity, imagination, and creative thinking

*High Openness people tend to be imaginative, intellectually curious, appreciative of art and beauty which is not common in ten year old children.
Telison: High openness score, fascinated by clouds and Leonardo DiVinci, his quirkiness seemed to win him friends when he was younger but as he grew up and his peers began to learn to social rules he was left in isolation, started to be bullied on an everyday basis and so he transfered schools (his school now encourages creativity) 

*Thinking becomes more abstract when children hit puberty, therefore, their levels of openness rise.
*Men have slightly higher openness scores.
*Eldest child usually scores significantly higher in openness compared to siblings.
*Non-white people tend to score higher

THE BIG 5 PERSONALITY TEST

Your Results
Closed-Minded		Open to New Experiences
Disorganized		Conscientious
Introverted		Extraverted
Disagreeable		Agreeable
Calm / Relaxed		Nervous / High-Strung

Openness to Experience/Intellect
	High scorers tend to be original, creative, curious, complex; Low scorers tend to be conventional, down to earth, narrow interests, uncreative.
		You are relatively open to new experiences.	(Your percentile: 65)
Conscientiousness
	High scorers tend to be reliable, well-organized, self-disciplined, careful; Low scorers tend to be disorganized, undependable, negligent.
		You are neither organized or disorganized.	(Your percentile: 58)
Extraversion
	High scorers tend to be sociable, friendly, fun loving, talkative; Low scorers tend to be introverted, reserved, inhibited, quiet.
		You probably enjoy spending quiet time alone.	(Your percentile: 9)
Agreeableness
	High scorers tend to be good natured, sympathetic, forgiving, courteous; Low scorers tend to be critical, rude, harsh, callous.
		You are neither extremely forgiving nor irritable.	(Your percentile: 44)
Neuroticism
	High scorers tend to be nervous, high-strung, insecure, worrying; Low scorers tend to be calm, relaxed, secure, hardy.
		You are generally relaxed.	(Your percentile: 37)