In a post on the Killzone blog, Garry Rodgers examines the five primary dimensions of human personality and suggest that writers can use these traits to build compelling characters.
The “Big Five” traits are: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. What does those mean?
- Openness is creativity and intrigue, being imaginative and having insight.
- Conscientiousness is thoughtfulness, including impulse control and goal-directed behaviors.
- Extraversion is how much you enjoy being social, as well as assertiveness, and emotional expressiveness.
- Agreeableness is kindness, as well as trust, altruism, affection, and other prosocial behaviors.
- Neuroticism means sadness and emotional instability.
Like the Meyers-Briggs test or Enneagram, a Big Five personality test can give you insights in your characters’ personalities.
