Perspective on the Trait Perspective

In life, people are often quick to think that bigger and more wide ranging is better. This does not apply to technology because it is apparent that slimmer and less-weight is often better, like for iPhones. But in terms of knowledge, the farther an answer spans, the more accurate it is, right?

I don't think so.

The trait perspective believes that personality is determined by one's traits. However, there are arguments within the trait perspective over which  traits specifically influence personality. It seemed to me from class that the most accepted Trait Perspective theory is the OCEAN (or CANOE) Theory. In this theory, you measure a person based on 5 scales to determine their personality. The 5 scales are as follows. 1. Openness to Experience (e.g. - liberal, conservative) 2. Conscientiousness (e.g. - stoic, methodical, gullible) 3. Extroversion/Introversion (e.g. - be with others, keep to yourself) 4. Agreeableness (e.g. - stubborn, easy going) and 5. Neuroticism (e.g. - emotional stability or instability).

I think the OCEAN perspective has too many scales. I think simplicity is paramount in determining one's personality. If you want to classify someone, you want to do so on an easy level. Or else it causes too much thinking and it is much harder to identify someone and know the essence of them. I believe a person can be summed up by the Hans Eysenck Theory. This theory only uses 2 scales: introverted vs. extroverted & emotionally stable vs. emotionally unstable. Furthermore, your personality can be a combination of the 2 scales to result in a overall (though not ALL encompassing) personality label. For example, one with majority extroverted while simultaneously being mostly emotionally unstable could be classified as having an excitable personality.

The Hans-Eysenck Theory makes things simple. Simple is good. The Hans-Eysenck Theory is good.