Conscientiousness Case Study

Numerous studies have been conducted on each factor and their subsets within the Five Factor Model; however, most studies have focused on extraversion, neuroticism, and their contributions to understanding an aspect of personality due to the ease in which each factor can be observed. The study of the Five Factor Model personality trait, conscientiousness, and its sub factors began to gain recognition as a meaningful and practical personality trait in the 1990s, and have been extensively studied and will continue to be studied throughout the twenty-first century. This paper examines how conscientiousness and its sub factors affect personality psychology based on scholarly literature and scientific research that thoroughly explains the role

Data that references to the development of conscientiousness is very slim. Psychologists consider that conscientiousness development begins when individuals are around the age of three. However, C.Halverson, V. Havill, J. Deal, S. Baker et al. (as cited in d. Mroczek et al., 2006, p.217) instead of calling their trait “conscientiousness”, most would reference to this personality trait by sub facets of conscientiousness i.e. attention (the ability to concentrate), self-control (the ability to control impulses), achievement motivation (tendencies to be cautious, planful, and behaviorally controlled), orderliness (the ability to be neat and organized), responsibility (the tendency to be reliable and dependable) (D. Mroczek, T. Little, A. Lang, 2006). Children who are low on conscientiousness at this age tend to be depicted as children who are impulsive, distractible, careless, unreliable, and irresponsible (D. Mroczek et al.,

Low conscientiousness is associated with impulsive behavior as well as carelessness and apathy. Provided that low conscientiousness is connected to impulsive behavior, Gregory Smith and Leila Guller (as cited in M. Mikulincer et al., 2014, p. 333) explain that lack of planning and perseverance are two traits low conscientious individuals have that may be correlated with rash thinking and impulsive actions (e.g. ., walking alone at night, cheating on an exam, drinking and driving). This type of behavior can lead to “maladaptive drug use” and other risky behaviors such as risky sexual behavior and smoking (M. Mikulincer et al., 2014). Lack of planning is defined as a lack of precaution or forethought and does not refer to anything caused by intense emotions or sensation seeking. Additionally, G. Smith, S. Fisher, M. Cynders, A. Annus, N. Spillane and D. McCarthy (as cited in M. Mikulincer et al., 2014, p. 334) lack of perseverance refers to the “inability to remain focused on a task” and may be related to impaired school or occupational functioning. Also, low conscientiousness has been linked to peer-victimization and rejection due to poor self control (i.e. externalizing and attention difficulties) (M. Mikulincer et al.,