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Conveniently, you can remember these traits with the handy OCEAN mnemonic (or, if you prefer, CANOE works, too).
The Big Five are the ingredients that make up each individual's personality. A person might have a dash of openness, a lot of conscientiousness, an average amount of extraversion, plenty of agreeableness and almost no neuroticism at all. Or someone could be disagreeable, neurotic, introverted, conscientious and hardly open at all. Here's what each trait entails:
Openness is shorthand for "openness to experience." People who are high in openness enjoy adventure. They're curious and appreciate art, imagination and new things. The motto of the open individual might be "Variety is the spice of life."
People low in openness are just the opposite: They prefer to stick to their habits, avoid new experiences and probably aren't the most adventurous eaters. Changing personality is usually considered a tough process, but openness is a personality trait that's been shown to be subject to change in adulthood. In a 2011 study, people who took psilocybin, or hallucinogenic "magic mushrooms," became more open after the experience. The effect lasted at least a year, suggesting that it might be permanent.
Speaking of experimental drug use, California's try-anything culture is no myth. A study of personality traits across the United States released in 2013 found that openness is most prevalent on the West Coast.
People who are conscientious are organized and have a strong sense of duty. They're dependable, disciplined and achievement-focused. You won't find conscientious types jetting off on round-the-world journeys with only a backpack; they're planners.
People low in conscientiousness are more spontaneous and freewheeling. They may tend toward carelessness. Conscientiousness is a helpful trait to have, as it has been linked to achievement in school and on the job.
Extraversion versus introversion is possibly the most recognizable personality trait of the Big Five. The more of an extravert someone is, the more of a social butterfly they are. Extraverts are chatty, sociable and draw energy from crowds. They tend to be assertive and cheerful in their social interactions.
Introverts, on the other hand, need plenty of alone time, perhaps because their brains process social interaction differently. Introversion is often confused with shyness, but the two aren't the same. Shyness implies a fear of social interactions or an inability to function socially. Introverts can be perfectly charming at parties — they just prefer solo or small-group activities.
Agreeableness measures the extent of a person's warmth and kindness. The more agreeable someone is, the more likely they are to be trusting, helpful and compassionate. Disagreeable people are cold and suspicious of others, and they're less likely to cooperate.
Men who are high in agreeableness are judged to be better dancers by women, suggesting that body movement can signal personality. (Conscientiousness also makes for good dancers, according to the same 2011 study.) But in the workplace, disagreeable men actually earn morethan agreeable guys. Disagreeable women didn't show the same salary advantage, suggesting that a no-nonsense demeanor is uniquely beneficial to men.
To understand neuroticism, look no further than George Costanza of the long-running sitcom "Seinfeld." George is famous for his neuroses, which the show blames on his dysfunctional parents. He worries about everything, obsesses over germs and disease and once quits a job because his anxiety over not having access to a private bathroom is too overwhelming.
George may be high on the neuroticism scale, but the personality trait is real. People high in neuroticism worry frequently and easily slip into anxiety and depression. If all is going well, neurotic people tend to find things to worry about. One 2012 study found that when neurotic people with good salaries earned raises, the extra income actually made them less happy.
In contrast, people who are low in neuroticism tend to be emotionally stable and even-keeled.
Unsurprisingly, neuroticism is linked with plenty of bad health outcomes. Neurotic people die younger than the emotionally stable, possibly because they turn to tobacco and alcohol to ease their nerves.
Possibly the creepiest fact about neuroticism, though, is that parasites can make you feel that way. And we're not talking about the natural anxiety that might come with knowing that a tapeworm has made a home in your gut. Undetected infection by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii may make people more prone to neuroticism, a 2006 study found.
Though personality types have fallen out of favor in modern psychological research as too reductive, they're still used by career counselors and in the corporate world to help crystallize people's understanding of themselves. Perhaps the most famous of these is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. A questionnaire based on the work of early psychologist Carl Jung sorts people into categories based on four areas: sensation, intuition, feeling and thinking, as well as extraversion/introversion.
Sensing and intuition refer to how people prefer to gather information about the world, whether through concrete information (sensing) or emotional feelings (intuition). Thinking and feeling refer to how people make decisions. Thinking types go with logic, while feeling types follow their hearts.
The Myers-Briggs system is rounded out with the judging/perception dichotomy, which describes how people choose to interact with the world. Judging types like decisive action, while perceiving types prefer open options.
The use of the Myers-Briggs is controversial, as research suggests that types don’t correlate well with job satisfaction or abilities.
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questions!
Topic 2. Why Men Don't Take Paternity Leave
After celebrating with their newborns this Father’s Day, most new dads will return to work on Monday.
Dads barely take any time off after the birth of a child, according to a study of working fathers by the Center for Work and Family at Boston College. Three quarters of men who don’t receive paternity leave take off work for a week or less after the birth of a child, and 16% are unable to take any days off.
Only 13% of employers offer paid paternity leave, according to benefits consulting firm Aon Hewitt. In April, Yahoo made a splash with their announcement that men will be offered a full eight weeks of paid parental leave, half of what the company offers new moms and a generous policy by U.S. standards.
But even when offered paternity leave, studies show most men won’t take it. A 2012 study of tenured track college professors found that only 12% of fathers took paid parental leave when it was offered compared with 69% of mothers. When new dads in the study did take paternity leave, many were still involved in projects at the office.
Academia is different than other fields, but the question remains: Why are men still less likely to take all the time offered to them by their employers after the birth of a child?
We asked five dads who have taken leave for a new child to explain their decisions and share their anxiety about the time off.
Unspoken Pressure on the Job
The stigma of being the guy in the office who takes the maximum amount of leave haunts many dads. It’s not the fear of losing a job exactly, but the unspoken disapproval—and questions about dedication—that can come with a long leave.
“I could have taken the whole week off after my son, Lyle, was born, but they said they really needed me, and they did, because it was the end of the fiscal year,” says Joseph, a corporate accountant in Kansas City. “I could tell they weren’t going to look kindly on my taking the whole week, so I didn’t.”
“But the truth is, they could have hired a temp without taking too much of a loss, and I would have been happy to put in some extra time when I got back,” he says.
Instead, he only took two days because he felt guilty and was afraid his firm would put him “on the top of the list for layoffs,” he admits. “But that was probably me overthinking it. I should have taken the leave, and if we have another baby, I am not going to pass it up this time. It was foolish.”
Roger, an information technology manager at a software firm in Fairfield, N.J., also regrets his decision to cut his family leave short.
“I could have taken three paid days, but the baby came on a Thursday. I am so conditioned to please my bosses that after the weekend I just showed up back at work. In my mind I’d had three days at home,” he says.
“And then I realized, that was irrelevant, I could have taken two more days. I don’t even know why I didn’t take them at that point,” Roger says. “Fear of looking like I was not committed to the job, I guess. Even though I do think they know that I am.”
Karen, Roger’s wife and a professor at Montclair State University, understands his angst, but would have appreciated having him home for more than a long weekend.
“I think on some level all men are going to be anxious about how taking leave will be perceived by their bosses. Then baby shows up and dad becomes sensitive to the traditional role of provider and protector,” she says. “Ironically, we could have used Roger home more after the first few days, or maybe even after the baby was a week old. There’s just more to do at that point. But he went back to work. He felt having a job to go back to was more important than having a few more days off. How can I argue with that?”
Cobbling Together a Leave
Many men who don’t get any formal paid paternity leave sometimes rely on borrowed time.
“We don’t have paternity leave or sick days or personal time at my workplace. We do get two weeks of vacation each year, which is effective on our hire anniversary date. What isn’t used, or cashed in, by the end of a year’s time is voided. It doesn’t accrue,” says David Coyle, a security guard in Chillicothe, Ohio.
“Last year we were expecting a baby in June, but knew there was a likelihood that he would come early. My supervisor told me to fill out everything but the dates on my vacation request, and he would write in the dates when it was time,” Coyle says. “Sure enough, three weeks before our due date, my wife was admitted to the hospital with low amniotic fluids.”
“The next morning the doctor came in and said he wanted to deliver. I called my supervisor immediately and said, ‘Hate to tell you this, but my vacation starts Monday.’ I then took the next two weeks off as paid time with my son. And when I got my next paycheck, everything was in order,” he says.
Coyle worries about what will happen when the second child comes.
“This year might be different. We are expecting a second child, and the estimated due date is October 25. My hire anniversary date is October 18. I already plan to use my vacation time again, but if he comes early, even by a week or so, I may be, as we say around here, ‘sh*t out of luck’ as far as pay is concerned,” he says. “I hate the idea of losing the equivalent of one whole paycheck, but I also know that my services will be needed at home. Of course that also means I won’t be able to take any time off just for the heck of it for a whole year.”
Will They Regret Going Back So Soon?
Sure, taking leave comes with a lot of anxiety, but the dads we spoke with who took all of the time available to spend with their newborn children were glad they did.
“I took the entire seven-day leave that our firm offers, and I’ve encouraged two men in my department to do the same, even though it was a bit of a stress on the team,” says Ed, a marketing vice president at a clothing retailer in Harrisburg, Penn.
“When I took my leave my bosses did not complain outright, but I definitely sensed an air of disappointment,” he says. ”One asked me outright if I still intended to use my already scheduled vacation days during the summer. I don’t think he was happy with the ‘yes’ response he received, but I also know that my work is far above standard and I would fight any discrimination I got over taking the parental leave tooth and nail.”
Aaron, who works at a Fortune 500 financial firm in San Francisco, used all of his available time without any hesitation.
“I took the maximum paternity leave allowed by California law. And to this day, I have no regrets. The time I was able to spend with my daughter was worth its weight in gold! It’s time that you don’t get back,” he says.
Ed believes that when supervisors take paternity leave, their employees are more likely to follow suit, and he tries to set an example at his company.
“People are afraid to rock the boat and it’s understandable, but that’s exactly why I give my people the encouragement to use the benefits they’re entitled to,” he says. “Knowing that I used it myself made them less fearful that I would hold it against them as some sort of demerit.”
Questions:
1. Are you willing to take all the time offered to you by your employers after the birth of your child? Why or why not?
2. How do you think Mark Zukerberg's recent paternity leave will affect Korean companies in the future?
3. Which do you focus more on between your work and home life? What efforts do you make to balance the two?
- Topic by 시에나
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