Openness To Experience: The Trait Of Exceptional Personalities
The study of personality has always aroused great interest from researchers, at the same time that it has aroused curiosity in untrained people. Human beings tend to categorize ourselves and our fellow human beings based on different attitudes and traits. This is how one of the main personality classifications emerged, of which the trait that concerns us today is a part: openness to experience.
We could say that this is the hallmark of those curious, open and emotionally hungry individuals. Those people we all know hungry for knowledge, with multiple interests and who always have something to contribute and learn. Do you want to discover more in depth how this trait manifests itself? Coming up next, we tell you.
Openness to experience, one of the big five
The Big Five model is one of the main taxonomies or schemes used to understand and classify personality. It arose from an investigation carried out by Goldberg and resulted in the following attributes:
- Openness to experience.
- Responsibility.
- Amiability.
- Extraversion.
- Neuroticism
Today we want to deal with the first of them, since it is one of the least known at a general level. However, it is a quality that significantly shapes the personality and endows those who have it with certain advantages.
What is openness to experience?
On the one hand, people with a high openness to experience are fluid, flexible and creative. They look for new stimuli, new knowledge and emotions. Thus, they embrace change and open up to different ways of thinking and proceeding.
On the contrary, those who score low in this dimension of personality are more closed and less tolerant individuals. People attached to tradition and routine, and with a more conventional thinking. In general, this feature encompasses the following aspects.
In what aspects does it manifest itself?
- Fantasy. People who score high in this dimension are creative, imaginative, and have a rich inner world. They also have divergent thinking and are capable of associating ideas without apparent connection, always finding new ways of proceeding. In addition, creativity is not limited to the artistic plane. Great scientists, and professionals from all fields with an innovative vision, are highly open to experience.
- Intelligence and knowledge. These individuals display great intellectual curiosity. They are people with a tendency to get involved in the analysis of ideas and the search for answers. Therefore, they are in a constant search for knowledge and are open to different points of view. In addition, they have multiple and diverse interests and enjoy learning.
- Esthetic. An appreciation for art, music and the surrounding beauty is very characteristic of these types of personalities. They seem to be better able to enjoy episodes of mindfulness and to enter states of flow. They are more likely to become fully involved with the present moment and to feel absorbed in the activity they are doing.
- Feelings. They are more connected with their internal states and have a high capacity for introspection. Therefore, they are not afraid to get in touch with their emotions and allow themselves to feel them fully.
- Values. They are more open to different points of view and are more likely to question any dogma or belief, even their own. Thus, they do not submit to authority of any kind without examining the values they hold.
- Actions. Of course, they are more open to trying new experiences and activities; They are willing to try new flavors, to get to know different cultures and to get out of their comfort zone. Ultimately, they seek encouragement and embrace change.
Exceptional personalities
Do you know someone with this personality trait? Do you recognize yourself in the previous definitions? Openness to experience is the characteristic of visionaries, of innovative and open people, of those who bring change. They are those capable of analyzing, reflecting and re-examining everything that is considered valid before accepting it; they are the ones that drive curiosity, knowledge and advancement.
These people more often experience positive affects and therefore enjoy greater life satisfaction. They are a sign that it is worth opening up, awakening our curiosity and facing the fear that change may generate in us.
