(Based on Cattell's 16 Personality Factors)
Way too little
|
Less
|
More
|
Way too much
|
|---|---|---|---|
| WARMTH | |||
| anti-social | reserved | warm | intrusive |
| unkind | impersonal | outgoing | smothering |
| cold | distant | attentive to others | nosy |
| uninvolved | cool | kindly | |
| detached | easy going | ||
| formal | participating | ||
| aloof | likes people | ||
| self-centered | sociable | ||
| ungenerous | friendly | ||
| socially inhibited | compassionate | ||
| helpful | |||
| nurturing | |||
| EMOTIONAL STABILITY | |||
| obsessive | emotionally reactive | emotionally stable | unresponsive |
| frenzied | changeable moods | adaptive | |
| hysterical | affected by feelings | mature | |
| fickle | emotionally less stable | faces reality | |
| histrionic (dramatic) | easily upset | calm | |
| excitable | unsentimental | ||
| high strung | impartial | ||
| DOMINANCE | |||
| drone | deferential | dominant | domineering |
| passive | cooperative | forceful | dictatorial |
| avoids conflict | assertive | antagonistic | |
| submissive | aggressive | vindictive | |
| humble | competitive | vengeful | |
| obedient | stubborn | unforgiving | |
| easily led | bossy | hostile | |
| docile | willful | ||
| accommodating | |||
| subdued | |||
| compliant | |||
| agreeableness | |||
| LIVELINESS | |||
| humorless | serious | lively | whirlwind |
| apathetic | restrained | animated | undependable |
| prudent | spontaneous | extravagant | |
| taciturn | enthusiastic | ||
| introspective | happy go lucky | ||
| silent | cheerful | ||
| dour | expressive | ||
| energetic | |||
| passionate | |||
| indulgent | |||
| RULE CONSCIOUSNESS | |||
| anarchist | expedient | rule-conscious | rule bound |
| nihilist | nonconforming | dutiful | moralistic |
| lawless | disregards rules | conscientious | judgmental |
| dishonest | self indulgent | conforming | critical |
| manipulative | disobedient | staid | |
| unrestrained | self-controlled | ||
| impulsive | dependable | ||
| responsible | |||
| SOCIAL BOLDNESS | |||
| agoraphobic | shy | socially bold | blind to social cues |
| reclusive | threat-sensitive | venturesome | attention seeker |
| inhibited | timid | thick skinned | self-aggrandizement |
| hesitant | uninhibited | ||
| easily intimidated | can take stress | ||
| SENSITIVITY | |||
| insensitive | utilitarian | sensitive | manic |
| objective | aesthetic | ||
| unsentimental | sentimental | ||
| tough minded | tender minded (tender hearted) | ||
| self-reliant | intuitive | ||
| no-nonsense | refined | ||
| rough | empathetic | ||
| resolute | receptive | ||
| determined | histrionic | ||
| open-minded | |||
| VIGILANCE | |||
| naive | trusting | vigilant | cynical |
| gullible | unsuspecting | suspicious | prejudiced |
| accepting | skeptical | biased | |
| unconditional | distrustful | ||
| easy | oppositional | ||
| uncooperative | |||
| ABSTRACTEDNESS | |||
| unimaginative | grounded | abstracted | out of touch with reality |
| practical | imaginative | ||
| prosaic | absent minded | ||
| solution oriented | impractical | ||
| steady | absorbed in ideas | ||
| straightforward | idealistic | ||
| PRIVATENESS | |||
| blabbermouth | forthright | private | secretive |
| gossip | indiscreet | discreet | |
| artless | non-disclosing | ||
| open | shrewd | ||
| guileless | polished | ||
| unpretentious | worldly | ||
| involved | astute | ||
| genuine | diplomatic | ||
| APPREHENSION | |||
| arrogant | self-assured | apprehensive | fear-bound |
| unworried | self doubting | ||
| complacent | worrying | ||
| secure | guilt prone | ||
| free of guilt | insecure | ||
| confident | self blaming | ||
| self satisfied | nervous | ||
| self confident | |||
| OPENNESS TO CHANGE | |||
| fear of the unknown | traditional | open to change | sensation seeker |
| close minded | attached to familiar | experimenting | novelty seeker |
| dogmatic | conservative | liberal | |
| respecting traditional ideas | analytical | ||
| consistent | critical (evaluating not censorious) | ||
| cautious | free thinking | ||
| conventional | flexible | ||
| pessimistic | optimistic | ||
| predictable | inventive | ||
| seeker of answers | asker of questions | ||
| unpredictable | |||
| surprising | |||
| curious | |||
| self-transcendent (seeing self as an integral part of the universe) | |||
| adventurous | |||
| SELF-RELIANCE | |||
| leech | group-oriented | self-reliant | loner |
| self-sacrificing | affiliative | solitary | rude |
| people pleasing | a joiner and follower | resourceful | selfish |
| narcissistic | dependent | individualistic | greedy |
| extrovert (gets recharged being with others) | self sufficient | tightfisted | |
| accommodating | introvert (needs alone time to recharge) | ||
| selfless | independent | ||
| generous | self-interested | ||
| self-monitoring | self-focused | ||
| other-focused | |||
| altruistic | |||
| humble (modest) | |||
| considerate | |||
| tolerant | |||
| PERFECTIONISM | |||
| oblivious | tolerates disorder | perfectionist | obsessive |
| chaotic | unexacting | organized | hoarder |
| flexible | compulsive | workaholic | |
| undisciplined | self-disciplined | hyper-focused on flaws | |
| lax | socially precise | ||
| self-conflict | exacting will power | ||
| careless of social rules | controlled | ||
| uncontrolled | self-sentimental | ||
| seeker of 'good enough' | careful | ||
| focused on what's right | deliberation | ||
| persistence | |||
| simplicity | |||
| thorough | |||
| seeker of 'the best' | |||
| goal oriented | |||
| success oriented | |||
| efficient | |||
| focused on what's wrong | |||
| TENSION | |||
| torpid | relaxed | tense | overwrought |
| listless | placid | high energy | |
| indolent | tranquil | impatient | |
| patient | driven | ||
| composed | frustrated | ||
| low drive | high drive | ||
| easy going | time driven | ||
| low anxiety | high anxiety | ||
| relaxed | tense | ||
| imperturbable | perturbable | ||
| well-adjusted | |||
| REASONING | |||
| concrete thinking | abstract-thinking | ||
| lower general mental capacity | more intelligent | ||
| less intelligent | bright | ||
| higher general mental capacity | |||
| fast learner | |||
I made some changes to Cattell's list. I suspect some words have shifted meanings since Cattell listed them, such as, critical meant evaluating but is now commonly used to mean condemning. So, I added a few words (to the bottoms of lists), removed a couple, and moved one. I listed his "5 Global Factors" under the categories where they seemed to best fit with the 16. (They're global because Cattell felt they fit several categories.)
The "way too" words in the columns to left and right I added. These aren't traits people are born with. Environment or life events warped the person in these directions. These are also where characters have the potential for the most (story) growth.
HISTORY: Back in the 1930s Gordon Allport collected 17,953 personality words -- by scanning through the dictionary! He whittled them down to 4505. Cattell whittled them further to 171 then categorized them.
