A document to help make connections between the Big Five Factors of Personality and the behavioral scales from The Birkman Method assessment.

1. Big Five Personality Factor Dimensions
Big Five Factor Facet
E Extraversion vs. introversion Gregariousness (sociable)
Assertiveness (forceful)
Activity (energetic)
Excitement-seeking (adventurous)
Positive emotions (enthusiastic)
Warmth (outgoing)
A Agreeableness vs. antagonism Trust (forgiving)
Straightforwardness (not demanding)
Altruism (warm)
Compliance (not stubborn)
Modesty (not show-off)
Tender-mindedness (sympathetic)
C Conscientiousness vs. lack of direction Competence (efficient)
Order (organized)
Dutifulness (not careless)
Achievement striving (thorough)
Self-discipline (not lazy)
Deliberation (not impulsive)
N Neuroticism vs. emotional stability Anxiety (tense)
Angry hostility (irritable)
Depression (not contented)
Self-consciousness (shy)
Impulsiveness (moody)
Vulnerability (not self-confident)

2. Big Five Personality Factor Dimensions
Big Five Factor Facet
O Openness vs. closedness to experience Ideas (curious)
Fantasy (imaginative)
Aesthetics (artistic)
Actions (wide interests)
Feelings (excitable)
Values (unconventional)
The traits from the Adjective Check List (listed in parentheses following each facet)
correlated substantially with scores on that facet in a study of self-ratings (Costa, P. T., &
McCrae, R. R. (1992). NEO PI-R Professional Manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological
Assessment Resources, p. 49).

3. Big Five Personality Factor Item Loading
Big Five Factor Low High
E Extraversion Quiet Talkative
Reserved Assertive
Shy Active
Silent Energetic
Withdrawn Outgoing
Retiring Outspoken
Dominant
Forceful
Enthusiastic
Show-off
Sociable
Spunky
Adventurous
Noisy
Bossy
A Agreeableness Fault-finding Sympathetic
Cold Kind
Unfriendly Appreciative
Quarrelsome Affectionate
Hard-hearted Soft-hearted
Unkind Warm
Cruel Generous
Stern* Trusting
Thankless Helpful
Stingy* Forgiving
Pleasant
Good-natured
Friendly
Cooperative
Gentle
Unselfish
Praising
Sensitive

4. Big Five Personality Factor Item Loading
Big Five Factor Low High
C Conscientiousness Careless Organized
Disorderly Thorough
Frivolous Planful
Irresponsible Efficient
Slipshot Responsible
Undependable Reliable
Forgetful Dependable
Conscientious
Precise
Practical
Deliberate
Painstaking
Cautious*
N Neuroticism Stable* Tense
Calm* Anxious
Contented* Nervous
Unemotional* Moody
Worrying
Touchy
Fearful
High-strung
Self-pitying
Temperamental
Unstable
Self-punishing
Despondent
Emotional

5. Big Five Personality Factor Item Loading
Big Five Factor Low High
O Openness Commonplace Wide interests
Narrow interests Imaginative
Simple Intelligent
Shallow Original
Unintelligent Insightful
Curious
Sophisticated
Artistic
Clever
Inventive
Sharp-witted
Ingenious
Witty*
Resourceful*
Wise
Logical*
Civilized*
Foresighted*
Polished*
Dignified*
Note. These 112 items were selected as initial prototypes for the Big Five because they
were assigned to one factor by at least 90% of the judges. The factor loadings, shown
for the hypothesized factor, were based on a sample of 140 males and 140 females,
each of whom had been described by 10 psychologists serving as observers during an
assessment weekend at the Institute of Personality Assessment and Research at the
University of California at Berkeley (John, O. P. (1990). The "Big Five" factor taxonomy:
Dimensions of personality in the natural language and questionnaires. In L. A. Pervin
(Ed.) Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 66-100) New York: Guilford
Press.).
*Potentially misclassified items (i.e., loading more highly on a factor different from the
one hypothesized in the original prototype definition).

6. Big Five Personality & The Birkman Method®
Big Five Factor Birkman Scale
E Extraversion Esteem (-)
Acceptance (+)
A Agreeableness Advantage (-)
Authority (-)
C Conscientiousness Structure (+)
N Neuroticism (emotional stability) Empathy (-)
Activity (+)
Thought (-)
O Openness to experience Change (+)
NOTE. “+” and “-“ indicate “positive” and “negative” correlations. The Birkman Scales
listed correlated substantially, but do not represent 1:1, or perfect, correlations.