Have you ever stayed up all night agonizing over a mundane detail of a project, even though everyone else says it’s perfect? Do your friends and loved ones frequently say, “you complain and worry too much?” Do you get easily frustrated with co-workers over little things?
Yes? Then you're likely wearing the neurotic badge of honor of the “crummiest” of the Big 5 personality traits.
But wait, it’s not all bad news!
While this personality trait is not explicitly "bad," it can affect your relationships and career satisfaction. Like other Big 5 personality traits, neuroticism exists on a spectrum. Some people have high neuroticism, others have low neuroticism, while the rest fall somewhere in between.
Which begs the question: How does low or high neuroticism affect career satisfaction? What career choices are you likely to thrive in when you're on either side of the neuroticism continuum? Or what if you fall right dab in the middle?
Knowing and understanding the character of this personality trait will help you find ways to mitigate your responses to life stressors and improve your overall job performance and productivity.
Without further ado, Let’s delve right in!
What is Neuroticism in the Big 5 Personality Type Theory?
Neuroticism, along with four other traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness), make up the five-factor personality model known as the Big Five. Each personality trait exists in a continuum, where individuals can fall on either extreme ends or anywhere between the spectrum. While testing for neuroticism, a person can scale highly or lowly on the continuum compared to others.
That said, what does your neuroticism score mean in the Big Five personality type model?
If you score low on the Big 5 Neuroticism test, you’re more likely to be stable and resilient emotionally. Conversely, those that score highly on the continuum are deemed emotionally unstable.
It’s interesting to note that out of all the Big Five personality types, this is the only one where the “label” for the trait is on the side with the negative connotation. For all the others, the name of the scale has the perception that a higher score is better than a lower one.
A Big Five personality type test for neuroticism provides a way to understand what people can cope with and how they respond to issues despite stress, anxiety, big expectations, or frequently facing negative emotions.
What Is the Big Five Trait of Neuroticism Psychology Definition?
Many psychologists have coined different definitions of neuroticism personality traits. But generally, it reflects a tendency towards negative emotions. It’s characterized by how a person relates and responds to sadness, mood swings, irritability, and anxiety.
More often than not, neurotic people react negatively when confronted by circumstances or situations that evoke unpleasant emotions. They can go as far as perceiving problems where there are none or exaggerating an issue that provokes conflict when triggered by internal or external stressors. Conversely, those who score low feel unpleasant emotions less intensely and deal with them faster.
Since the word "neuroticism" is derived from the historical phenomenon of neurosis—a mental disorder of emotional distress—it's viewed unfavorably and associated with negative emotions. Because of these connotations, several researchers prefer to call this trait "emotional stability," which is the name given to the opposite side of the continuum. Rather than measuring neuroticism levels, a name that just hearing triggers a less than positive connotation, it can be viewed that this scale measures the stability of their emotions.
Admittedly, human beings’ psychological composition and responses differ. They vary in the frequency and intensity with which they experience emotions such as anxiety, anger, irritation, regret, guilt, sadness, and stress. How a person ranks and responds to these emotions defines their level of big five emotional stability or neuroticism.
What Does a High Score on The Big Five Neuroticism Scale Mean?
Do you get easily frustrated with yourself when you make a mistake or blame yourself when things don't go your way? If so, chances are, according to the Big Five theory, you may have some neurotic tendencies. Everybody shows some ounces of neurotic anxiety when faced with challenging situations. It's, therefore, imperative to take the Big Five personality test to determine if you're highly neurotic.
A high neuroticism score describes individuals who often feel stressed, are anxious about several things simultaneously and tend to get easily annoyed. This personality type is prone to sudden shifts in mood and struggles to bounce back after painful experiences. Feelings of paranoia and anxiety are also common with highly neurotic individuals.
The good thing about this trait is that such people tend to be more reflective than others, which helps them to understand and examine their feelings well.
On the other hand, people with low scores on Big 5 neuroticism traits are polar opposites in terms of how they manage emotions. They stay relaxed even though bedeviled with a stressful or frustrating situation and remain emotionally calm despite painful experiences. Relaxation comes easy to them, and they never take things to heart. Moreover, they rarely feel depressed or sad, as they’re more resilient and never feel bothered or anxious about things out of their control.
As you will see, it’s not necessarily a good thing to be totally on this side of the neuroticism spectrum either.
What Does High Neuroticism Look Like?
The emotional stability of people who score high in the Big 5 trait of neuroticism test is complex. They experience fear a lot and, by their emotional state, tend to make many obvious mistakes and repeat them. Neurotic people carry a general sense of vulnerability or insecurity in their relationships with people, which can cause difficulties for them within the workplace.
Highly neurotic individuals are anxious about things beyond their control, can be upset by things that don't bother other people very much, and they tend to constantly worry about issues that "could" happen in the future. The more they navigate life, the more they agonize about potential dangers that might:
- Affect their safety
- Cause embarrassment in public places
- Deter them from trying something new
- Cause low self-esteem
- Bring rejections
High neuroticism scorers overreact when any of these things happen or become highly discouraged. Moreover, it's not unusual to find them hard to please, satisfy, or give compliments. They need constant validation and reassurance from others, turning needy and dependent on emotional fuel from others to keep moving forward in life.
A relationship with neurotic people tends to be toxic and faces conflicts frequently. Medically, it’s harmful as they face a higher mortality rate and are likely to get heart disease. Stress is not the only condition capable of creating medical challenges.
Since their mind is in a constant state of anxiety, negative feelings can also affect the proper functioning of their immune system. which makes it hard for the body to purge the nerves of a person's problem effectively. This vital connection has made many psychologists declare neuroticism a significant public health challenge.
What Does a Low Score on The Big Five Neuroticism Scale Mean?
People who score low on the Big Five scale of neuroticism have great emotional stability. They tend to be extremely relaxed and confident even in highly stressful situations. This set of people has difficulty understanding or spending time with people with the Big Five traits of neuroticism.
It’s not unusual to find people looking up to them for guidance. They appreciate new challenges and love coming up with solutions. Moreover, they focus more on solving problems than thinking about the situation.
As a drawback, individuals with low neuroticism find it difficult to understand other people's emotions or be empathetic to the plight of others. Also, an extreme confidence level can make them too calm, thereby underestimating dangers. Having low neuroticism doesn’t equate to a high frequency of positive feelings. It only means one feels more calm, confident, and relaxed over negative emotions at most times.
What Does Low Neuroticism Look Like?
A person with a low neuroticism trait remains calm and responds without a mental breakdown to negative news. They’re level-headed even in stressful and difficult situations. More often than not, low neurotic people like to be hands-on, actively doing something every moment, with less time for breaks or feeling overwhelmed.
In addition, they rarely complain about stress or feeling depressed as they look forward to the next activity with joy. It’s easy for them to thrive in an environment where their fantastic temperament offers new experiences and stable emotions.
What Does a Moderate Score on Big Five Neuroticism Scale Mean?
An average score on the Big Five Neuroticism spectrum is a balance between the two extremes. It means the person feels high and low neuroticism under different conditions depending on the circumstances. A moderately neurotic person may be confident but not overly confident.
They're relaxed but are keen to watch out for drawbacks, and their mood is flexible. Since the person tends to stand between pessimistic and optimistic, they go over problems with precision and analyze them well after going through several factors.
Moreover, they’re natural leaders as they feel what both people with high and low neuroticism traits feel. Since they make the best decisions based on their analysis of both extremes, they try to give their best efforts in everything, even if there's little to be gained. It’s better to have an average neuroticism score than a high or low one.
Big 5 Personality Type of Neuroticism: Career and Job Satisfaction
People with high neuroticism also have some positives, especially regarding their careers, though the negative usually overrides the good.
An example of the traits of people with high neuroticism is that they're not good at focusing on one particular thing for long periods. This lack of focus may affect them in a career that demands intensive hours of concentration.
A person with high neuroticism could be indecisive due to feelings of anxiety and paranoia. Their emotions get the best of them. They may find it hard to work harmoniously with co-employees in a workplace.
On the positive side, people with high neuroticism don’t make hasty decisions and think a lot before taking the final step. This is valuable in a position that needs management and leadership.
Moreover, they tend to be realistic and self-aware. They don’t have a boastful attitude to work. They’re always looking for drawbacks in situations, so they’ll cross-check all important information properly in projects with many risks.
High neuroticism allows people to be in touch with their emotions; therefore, they are capable of the empathy and sympathy necessary to build cohesion for teamwork.
Do you want to be sure of your potential career match? Take this easy career test to learn how you score on both Holland's interests and the Big Five personality types.
What Career Should I Go Into If I Am High In Neuroticism?
Pursuing careers that complement your personality can improve your job performance and boost productivity. Once you understand your personality's technical strengths and weaknesses, you can mesh them with potential careers that match. According to Holland's theory, people align or go to environments that match their personalities.
They would easily engage in activities using their abilities and values. As stated earlier, neurotic people tend to worry constantly; they can excel in careers with less pressure and anxiety. They can explore the negative feelings as an avenue for them to detect problems and solve them. Once they feel secure in a space that allows them the freedom to express themselves, they're excellent employees.
Some career choices for high neuroticism scorers are:
- Artist
- Writer
- Freelance Designer
- Accountant
- Yoga Instructor
- Florist
Each person has a different combination of personality traits; therefore, the degree of neuroticism and behavior differs.
What Job Should I Have If I Score Low in Neuroticism?
People with low neuroticism rarely experience negative feelings and react well to them. They're known to experience less stress and worry, allowing them to manage crises effectively. It's easy for them to thrive when their composed temperament is needed.
Potential job ideas for those who score low in neuroticism are:
- Social Worker
- Surgeon
- Diplomat
- Fire Fighter
- Police Officer
- Psychiatrist
- Lawyer
How Do I Know If Have the Big Five Neuroticism Personality Type?
Understanding your core personality will help you identify your values and find great ways to interact with others. Knowing what's good or bad about your personality can allow you to accept, then change what needs to be rooted out.
You may already have a sense if you're low or high on neuroticism, but taking an objective measure is the only sure way to determine your trait. BrainManager offers two Big Five personality type assessments—one that focuses on jobs and careers and a more comprehensive one that focuses on your personality traits as a whole.
Both will help you to learn more about yourself and help you better understand your behaviors.
