The OCEAN Assessment

This paper focuses on a brief overview of OCEAN assessment, my key findings after conducting an OCEAN test, and the emotions that the results provoked in me. Additionally, it will analyze how the results can help me lead change, present three conclusions about myself, and finally provide a personal improvement plan. The OCEAN assessment provided almost exact results of what I expected, but only two personality traits surpassed my imagination, of which they showed improvement. For openness, the results showed an improvement in creativity or openness. For the conscientiousness, the results showed I am 75% able to achieve my goals through exercising self-discipline and control. The results showed I am 58% an extrovert, meaning I am also a conservative person. On agreeableness, the assessment showed I care about other people’s needs by 60%, telling me I am empathetic. Lastly, the assessment showed I experience fear, guilt, sadness, and anxiety by 17% after a misfortune about neuroticism.

Introduction

Although many theories try to explain an individual’s personality traits, the OCEAN assessment has garnered popularity for the last twenty years (Belyh, 2019). OCEAN stands for five personality traits being openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. These five traits were developed by a team of researchers who worked independently through conducting data-driven empirical research (Belyh, 2019). The assessment provides a test where an individual wishing to know their personality type based on the five traits performs it and receives each trait’s results.

The assessment can help in change management in two ways. One, the results help an individual to improve on areas that come out low. For example, on conscientiousness, one can find ways to be self-disciplined after scoring low. Secondly, it can help one to understand the traits that they did not know they possess. For instance, the ability to have openness and be creative may not be creative and change society. The OCEAN assessment helps in providing the exact percentage of how creative one can be and impact growth.

Key Findings

My key findings were as follows; openness 87.5%, conscientiousness 75%, Extraversion 58%, agreeableness 60%, and neuroticism 17% (Truity, 2020). Conscientiousness and openness results surpassed my imagination while extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism quite agreed with my self-concept. The most surprising result I got is that of openness. The openness trait result was 87.5%, which was beyond my imagination.

About openness, I never imagined myself as a creative person who can discover novel experiences. However, I also did not range myself too low, but I thought I was neutral. The results were too high, and because the OCEAN assessment has been rated one of the most credible estimates for personality (Ackerman, 2020), I conquered with it. I now believe I can do great things by dwelling on traditional experiences and discovering new experiences through art.

About conscientiousness, I always discovered many distractions that limited me in achieving my goals. According to results, my personality can allow me to exercise self-discipline and control by being organized and determined, and foregoing short-lived gratification for the sake of achieving my goals. That means achieving my goals is easy if only I become self-disciplined.

Apart from openness and conscientiousness, the other three traits came out as I expected. About extraversion, I believe I am not an extrovert, and also I am not an introvert. I am a social being with limits. Agreeableness was also on the right track. I am indeed empathetic, but even I am always considerate about my well-being. My consideration for my needs and those of others are equally is equally almost the same. Finally, neuroticism’s results were also on the right track. In most instances, when confronted with misfortunes, I do not react with fear, anger, or sadness; instead, I let go of the situation to focus on positivity. However, it does not mean I do not fear or feel sad; instead, I try not to concentrate on a bad situation.

Emotions

The OCEAN results triggered two emotions in me, and one of them is happiness. I felt an overall sense of joy due to two results that surprised my concept. Openness is one thing I expected to score medium; to my surprise, I discovered I could be more innovative than I thought I was. IT transformed me into a happy being; experts say learning new experiences brings happiness to one’s life (Salzberg & Kabat-Zinn, 2004). In general, all the traits’ results were positive, and that evoked joy in me.

Another feeling that I developed after the results is confidence. Usually, when one is doing a test of any kind, they fear how the results come out, but when the results come out, they either develop confident or under-confident. I felt rejuvenated because the positive results I expected were positive, and those I was not sure about were also positive. The fact that the results showed I possess high levels of openness and conscientiousness instilled confident in me such that I felt like going out, being creative, being self-disciplined to pursue my goals because my personality type will allow me.

Analysis

Each trait will help me lead change in today’s environment. Firstly, since I scored high in openness, the attribute will enable me to think in abstract ways and develop ideas that shape the surroundings. The world today needs innovative minds that depend on traditional practices and develop new novel practices. Therefore, through my creative personality, I will be able to transform the world. Secondly, conscientiousness is another trait that I scored high. It means I can lead change in society by exercising self-discipline to achieve my goals. Achieving my goals will mean that I will create opportunities for other people in the world. Thus through my conscientiousness trait, I will achieve my goals and create opportunities for other people, thereby changing.

Thirdly my score for extraversion was fair, meaning I am half an extrovert and half an introvert, and by that, I can be able to establish friendships and at the same time maintain my lane of seeking stimulation from the world. Through this trait’s result, I can react to situations without exaggerated stimulation, which impacts the environment by enhancing peace with other people. When one can establish friendships, maintain them by knowing how to conserve their limits, harmony between them always prevails. Agreeableness results were quite fair, and through this trait, I can impact people’s lives by being empathetic. Empathy goes a long way in making other people’s lives successful, which is a positive change. Lastly, my neuroticism result was relatively low, reflecting that I do not hold onto negative situations. It is a crucial trait as it can help me in counseling people whose neuroticism score is high. Knowing how to let go of challenging problems will reduce anger, guilt, sadness, and fear among people (Adler, Rosen, & Silverstein, 1998).

Conclusion

The process of OCEAN assessment has helped me reach into three conclusions about myself. Firstly, I am a person who can bring change in society by being creative and innovative. It is evident from the openness results. Secondly, I can impact lives by helping others deal with their situations through being empathetic. Thirdly, I can achieve my goals by being self-disciplined and taking control of what I do. Achieving my goals will trigger other people to achieve theirs too. As sociologists say, people are connected through structural functionality; thus, everybody performing in their functions brings a change in society (Porpora, 1989).

Personal Improvement Plan

Based on the OCEAN results, I will improve on agreeableness and neuroticism areas. I will improve on agreeableness because I can help others more than the 60% I showed. I believe in the power of helping and being empathetic up to at least 80%. I also will improve on neuroticism because 17% is much an alarming result to me. I do not believe in fear or sadness due to a situation; instead, I think letting go of a disturbing situation is better than holding it. Thus, I will strive to drop it up to at least 10%. Some of the small steps I will take include; organizing charity social media groups to help the needy, start reading on how to eliminate fear, grief, guilt, and sadness brought by problematic situations, start thinking of creative ways to achieve my goals and control the activities I do to promote self-discipline.

                                                           References

Ackerman, C. E. (2020, October 13). Big Five personality traits: The OCEAN model explained [2019 Upd.]. Retrieved from https://positivepsychology.com/big-five-personality-theory/

Adler, R. S., Rosen, B., & Silverstein, E. M. (1998). Emotions in negotiation: How to manage fear and anger. Negotiation Journal, 14(2), 161-179. DOI:10.1111/j.1571-9979.1998.tb00156.x

Belyh, A. (2019, September 25). The Big Five personality traits model (OCEAN model). Retrieved from https://www.cleverism.com/big-five-personality-traits-model-ocean-model/

Porpora, D. V. (1989). Four concepts of social structure Douglas v. Porpora. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 19(2), 195-211. DOI:10.1111/j.1468-5914.1989.tb00144.x

Salzberg, S., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2004). Lovingkindness. Shambhala Publications.

Truity. (, 2020). The Big Five Personality Test. Retrieved from https://www.truity.com/test/big-five-personality-test