Discussion question - Essay Example

First & Five factor model of personality Five factors model, or “Big Five” (Ewen, cited in Popkins refers to the list of variables which are used to “identify and classify personality traits (McAdams, cited in Popkins 1). According to Digman “the five-factor model has given us a useful set of very broad dimensions that characterize individual differences” (Digman, cited in Popkins 1). Nowadays, the it is considered one of the most efficient models in describing personality.R. McCrae and O.

John together with the majority of other scholars defined extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience as five basic dimensions of the “Big Five” “hierarchical organization of personality” (175).In general, extraversion characterizes persons interest in other people, outer world and external events, constant gaining of new knowledge and experience (Ewen, cited in Popkins 3). Neuroticism correlates with the inclination to feel “distress,.. nervous tension, depression, frustration” resulting in “poor control of impulses, somatic complaints”, etc.

(McCrae et sl. 195). Openness shows persons desire to learn and accept new ideas and new experience. Agreeableness is about persons ability to contact with other people, while conscientiousness estimates persons disposition to take into consideration others thoughts, advices, etc. Each of these factors has its reversed opposites. The appropriate number of main personality factors is yet to be determined as scholars still argue regarding this question: on the one hand, it is suggested that five traits are not enough to fully describe the variety of existing personalities, while other believe that the number of factors can be shortened to, say, three.

I think that all factors are necessary and harmonically coexist with each other. However, to my mind, the most substantial and informative characteristics belong to the category of “extravertism – introvertism” as implicitly they already include the traits of openness (extraverts are more likely to receive with new ideas and knowledge), agreeableness (the extravertism is viewed as ability to cooperate with other people as well) and conscientiousness (extrovertism as a phenomenon tends to accept other peoples personalities in the process of cooperation with them).

As for the neuroticism, it is also assumed that extraverts are majorly impulsive people to which it is problematic to control, for example, their impulses. Thus, the factor of extravertism-introvertism has indirect linkage to other traits by containing some of their most remarkable features. As a result, it is determined as the most outstanding among others.Incentives, whether positive or negative, are usually considered as external motivators for stimulating ones desirable behavior. As a matter of fact, incentives are applied to encourage the further improvement or development of another persons behavior in order to boost its effectiveness.

As for the reinforcement/punishment, they are used to increase/decrease the “likelihood of a behavior” in the future (Reinforces and Punishers 1). Reinforcement and punishment are always coincide with the consequences of a behavior. Whereas incentives serve only serve as a stimuli for any intended behavior and do not necessarily follow the already completed one. Also, unlike incentives, which are aimed at increasing the quality of behavior, reinforcement and punishment stand for the increase/decrease of the number of similar actions in the future, which is a quantitative characteristic.

Thus, in conclusion, it is needed to indicate that incentives, either positive or negative, are a wider notion than reinforcement and punishment: while incentives may use the latter as a stimulus for further action, it is still contains a range of another possible modes which can be used as motivators.Works CitedMcCrae, Robert R., John, Oliver P. An Introduction to the Five-Factor Model and Its Applications. Journal of personality 2 Jun. 1992 175-215. Web. 22 Aug. 2014.Popkins, Nathan S. The Five-Factor Model: Emergence of a Taxonomic Model for Personality Psychology. Aug. 1998. Web. 22 Aug. 2014.Reinforces and Punishers.

Utah Criminal Justice Center 2010. Web. 22 Aug. 2014.