What is Conscientiousness in the Big Five Personality System?
In this blog series, we’re breaking down the traits of the Big Five personality system, to show you how rich, nuanced and complex our personalities truly are. Second in the series, Conscientiousness, the so-called 'alpha' trait. You can read the first blog post, on Openness, here.
There's an episode of the Simpsons, "My Sister, My Sitter," where Bart is furious that his parents have hired his younger sister Lisa to babysit him. In true Bart style, he plays all kinds of tricks to make Lisa miserable: ordering a huge submarine sandwich, hiring Krusty to show up at a fake party, calling 9-1-1 for a "sisterectomy," and feeding baby Maggie coffee ice cream for dinner.
Lisa responds exactly as expected: she tries to maintain order and discipline. For Lisa, rules and responsibility are very important, while for Bart, they are inconveniences that get in the way of having a good time.
This scenario illustrates the contrast between individuals who score high in Conscientiousness and those who score low. This single trait can reveal an incredible amount about how you structure your life and respond to expectations.
The Big Five Personality System in a Nutshell
Conscientiousness is one of the Big Five personality traits, which are considered to be the five fundamental dimensions of personality. These traits are:
- Openness to Experience – How curious, creative and open you are to new ideas.
- Conscientiousness – The focus of this article; relates to organization, discipline and reliability.
- Extraversion – How outgoing and energized you are by social interactions.
- Agreeableness – How cooperative, kind and empathetic you tend to be.
- Neuroticism – How prone you are to experiencing negative emotions like anxiety or sadness.
Each trait exists on a spectrum, meaning people can fall anywhere from very low to very high on each dimension, with most people falling somewhere in the middle.
If you are familiar with the Myers and Briggs system, you might notice some overlap with the Big Five. Conscientiousness maps to the Judging versus Perceiving dimension of the 16-type system, with Judgers tending to score higher in Conscientiousness and Perceivers lower. For example, we would expect a typical ESTJ to score higher than average on Conscientiousness, and an ESTP to score lower than average. But since it's a spectrum, one ESTJ could be more Conscientious than another ESTJ, and one might be much less so.
The best way to find your placement on the spectrum is to take Truity's free Big Five Personality Test.
What is Conscientiousness?
Conscientiousness is the degree to which a person is organized, responsible and disciplined. It’s often referred to as the trait of self-control because it provides the mental and emotional structure required to stay on track, fulfill obligations and achieve goals. "Delayed gratification" could be the Conscientious person's middle name.
People who score high in Conscientiousness are typically:
- Organized
- Efficient
- Goal-oriented
- Self-disciplined
- Reliable
- Responsible
- Detail-focused
- Cautious
- Dutiful
- Serious
People lower on this trait tend to be:
- Impulsive
- Spontaneous
- Easily distracted
- Disorganized
- Procrastinating
- Flexible
- Unstructured
- Unpredictable
- Laid-back
- Easy-going
Both ends of the spectrum are equally valid. Imagine a work team where everyone is high C. On paper, it sounds like a boss's dream – everyone is highly productive, organized and hardworking. But what if a client changes the parameters of a project at the last minute? The flexible low-C members of the team may be able to roll with the punches and get creative with the workflow, while the high-Cs may struggle to adapt and change course outside of their well-organized plans.
Conscientiousness in Real Life
It’s easy to talk about Conscientiousness in abstract terms, but how does this trait show up in everyday life? Consider the following scenarios:
Conscientiousness at Work
Scenario: You are leading a group project with a tight deadline. Everyone in the team has different working styles and schedules, which makes it challenging to coordinate tasks. Midway through the project, one team member suggests significantly changing the approach, which could delay progress but potentially improve the final outcome. The group must decide quickly how to proceed without jeopardizing the deadline.
A high Conscientiousness colleague might say, “Let's stick to the plan we agreed on and focus on meeting our deadline. We can revisit this idea after we finish the project if there's time.”
A low Conscientiousness colleague might say, “That sounds like a great idea! Let's try it out and see what happens. We still have some time before the deadline, so why not experiment?”
What's happening here:
- High C individuals have strong time-management skills. They masterfully juggle tasks and deadlines, rarely missing due dates. Managers, colleagues and clients know they can count on these individuals. But Conscientiousness isn’t without challenges. People at the extreme end may struggle with perfectionism, which can lead to analysis paralysis and burnout. High C people may also struggle to turn the juggernaut around: once they're set on a path, they'll keep going to the end. It’s hard for them to pivot and abandon tasks or goals.
- Low C individuals have the opposite problems. More spontaneous and flexible, they may find themselves in conflict with authority figures who value punctuality and organization. They can turn on a dime and leap from project to project with seemingly effortless ease, which is ideal when the situation calls for adaptability. But in structured environments, this can come across as flaky and unreliable. They may have trouble seeing projects through to completion.
Conscientiousness in Relationships
Scenario: You are moving into a new apartment with your partner, but you have different approaches to unpacking and organizing. One of you is meticulously labeling all the boxes and creating a detailed plan for where everything will go, while the other starts unpacking randomly without any structure.
A high Conscientiousness partner might say, “Let's make sure we have a clear plan for unpacking and organizing where things need to go. It will make the process smoother, and we won't waste time looking for things later.”
A low Conscientiousness partner might say, ”This shelf would look great over here! Let's try it out and see how we like it.” Or, they might abandon the unpacking altogether.
What's happening here:
- High C individuals tend to be dependable partners, always keeping their promises and supporting their loved ones. They are often the "rock" in relationships, providing stability and structure and often taking on a lot of household tasks and keeping their homes neat and organized. But this trait can also lead to conflict if they become too controlling or critical of their partner's less structured approach.
- Low C individuals can bring a sense of spontaneity and fun to relationships. They don't stress about the small details and enjoy going with the flow. However, this trait could also lead to forgetfulness or lack of follow-through on commitments, causing tension in relationships that value reliability and responsibility.
Is Conscientiousness the 'Alpha Trait'?
If we strip Conscientiousness back to its essence, we might land on one word: grit.
Grit is the ability to knuckle down and persist through obstacles with disciplined effort. This aligns with Conscientiousness well, as individuals high in this trait are dutiful, achievement-striving, self-disciplined and deliberate.
Grit is not the sexiest trait, but there is a wealth of research linking high-Conscientiousness, gritty individuals with a range of success outcomes:
- In this 2009 study, Conscientious participants reported considerably higher incomes and job satisfaction.
- For dual-income households, high Conscientiousness correlated with $171,000 greater savings than average in this study, even when controlling for income levels.
- This study found that Conscientious kids do better at school.
- There's higher marital satisfaction among Conscientious couples, who demonstrate better emotional regulation and problem-solving, per this study.
- Conscientious individuals may even live longer, as they are far less likely to smoke, drink and abuse drugs, and far more likely to adopt health-conscious behaviors.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Conscientiousness is how it supports success in nearly every area of life. Making plans and sticking to them, being on top of deadlines, budgeting, avoiding impulsive decisions — these skills help you regardless of your life stage or goals. And it can collectively impact all aspects of life, from career success to relationships and overall well-being.
Can You Develop Conscientiousness?
While there is a genetic component to personality traits, including Conscientiousness, it can indeed be improved over time. This might happen subconsciously due to the situation you are in, or you can make a focused effort to cultivate certain habits and behaviors that align with Conscientiousness. For example, completing tasks over an extended period in a high-C way can change habits and therefore improve Conscientiousness. Schools make these types of interventions fairly often to improve the study habits and organization skills of students.
Remember though, that working against your natural tendencies can be challenging, and being highly Conscientious isn't always beneficial. It can lead to stress and burnout if taken to the extreme. Just like any other trait, balance is key.
Final Words
Whether you’re the Bart or Lisa of your family, being aware of your Conscientiousness can help you navigate your life, careers and relationships more effectively. Conscientiousness is a powerful trait, because it's the self-control trait. Developing this trait can improve your ability to follow through on plans, overcome obstacles, stick at a problem when the going gets tough and be a reliable partner to those around you.
The key is finding the right balance for you. Many people are situational with their Conscientiousness — they're in a job that demands it, but in their personal life they may be more stress-free and relaxed. The point is not to try to change who you are, but to discover how Conscientiousness can enhance your life in a way that feels authentic and sustainable to you.
