Uses of Personality Trait Theories

Theories of personality traits serve to classify human dispositions. The five main personality traits measured are: conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and openness. Varying degrees of these traits are predictors of certain behavior; therefore, they carry social significance. Personality trait theories are applied in a number of ways, including in mental health treatment, law enforcement and employment decisions.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Psychologists use measures of personality traits to diagnose personality disorders and decide what direction to take in treatment. For example, someone who scores low in conscientiousness can exhibit impulsivity, a trait that is associated with several mental health problems including obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, antisocial behavior and substance abuse.

Criminal Predictors

• Certain personality traits are predictors of criminal behavior, including impulsivity, aggressiveness and narcissism. Professionals who work with juveniles view low scores in conscientiousness, agreeableness and extroversion, coupled with high scores in neuroticism, as predictors of criminal behavior. Using this personality trait information, professionals can place at-risk youths in programs designed to discourage antisocial behaviors.

Employment Decisions

• Personality trait theories have been applied to employment situations to measure both intrinsic results, such as job satisfaction, and extrinsic results, such as income and career success. For example, high levels of conscientiousness and extraversion are predictors of success in jobs that involve social interaction, such as sales. Openness to new experience is a trait associated with people who are trainable. Regarding overall job satisfaction, those who are happiest score low in neuroticism and high in extraversion, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Leadership Qualities

• Personality trait theories have also been used to study the qualities of leadership. Some traits associated with leaders, such as high scores in extraversion, openness and conscientiousness, are also associated with positive job performance. However, high scores in agreeableness appear to be less important for leadership than for job satisfaction. A study by led by Timothy A. Judge and published in the December 2009 issue of "The Leadership Quarterly" points out that a leader who scores high in agreeableness might avoid making decisions that could result in confrontation and might be too lenient when judging the performance of subordinates.