In this article you will read about:
- Delay gratification by focusing on long-term goals rather than immediate wants
- Carefully consider their actions and decisions while taking the full impact into account
- Learn from their past mistakes to avoid repeating the same issues
- Work hard to produce high-quality content at home, work, and school.
Meticulosity versus Intuition
Conscientiousness is associated with meticulosity, discipline, a pronounced sense of duty and a strong need for professional accomplishment. A person scoring high in conscientiousness usually has a high level of self-discipline. These individuals prefer to follow a plan rather than act spontaneously. Their methodic planning and perseverance usually make them highly successful in their chosen occupation. Given its definition, conscientiousness should be an essential correlate of a wide swath of social behaviour. Speaking in historical terms, traits associated with conscientiousness have some of the longest histories in psychology, beginning with Freud’s idea of the superego.
Conversely, an individual low in conscientiousness prefers flexibility in thoughts and actions, basing their choices on a more intuitive functioning system, having a high tolerance for unstructured tasks, and spontaneity. People who score low in this trait tend to postpone tasks and give up easily if problems occur. They present informal behaviour and have a naturally adventurous spirit.
Common Conscientiousness Traits
Each of the Big Five personality traits comprises six facets or sub-traits. These can be assessed independently of the trait they belong to in a personality test.
The sub-traits of the conscientiousness domain are:
Orderly
Goal-oriented
Cautious
Self-efficacy
Self-disciplined
Dutiful
High Conscientiousness characteristics
- Competent
- Organized
- Dutiful
- Self-disciplined
- Deliberation
- Organized
- Mindful and thoughtful
- Empathetic
- Reliable
- Hard-working
- Goal-oriented
Low Conscientiousness characteristics
- Disorganized
- Careless
- Procrastinates important tasks
- Impulsive
- Dislikes structure and schedules
- Makes messes and doesn’t take care of things
- Fails to return things or put them back where they belong
- Fails to complete necessary or assigned tasks
major personality traits |
Persons who reach the higher rungs in business management, selling, engineering, religious work, writing, acting, and in every other pursuit get there by following conscientiously and continuously a plan for self-development and growth.
Causes of Conscientiousness
The exact reason why people tend to be more conscientious or less so has been the subject of considerable debate and research in psychology. As with many such discussions, the question tends to boil down to two key contributors: nature or nurture.
Genetics & Biology
The positive aspects of conscientiousness often make it the best psychological predictor of career success, health, and longevity after intelligence. Naturally, researchers have done a lot of work to find out which genetic and environmental factors lead to high conscientiousness.
Neural networks
The human brain has billions of neurons, and many of these neurons are connected in an observable pathway, serving a specific purpose. We call these pathways neural networks.
High Conscientiousness has been linked to a greater connectivity between several neural networks in the brain: The cognitive control network controls your executive functions  such as attention, planning, working memory, and social behavior. The salience network primarily decides which things you pay attention to and which things you ignore .
The Prefrontal Cortex
Some studies have shown a positive association between volumes of certain regions within the PFC and Conscientiousness – meaning people with higher conscientiousness are likely to have a slightly larger prefrontal cortex than others.
Environmental
The widespread belief in the immutability of personality is misplaced. The new science of personality change states that people can and do change their personalities, through self-development, organizational events and processes, and external events.
Conscientiousness, like other traits, is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Encouragingly, conscientiousness increases for many people as they grow older.
Health and longevity
According to an 80-year-old and ongoing study started in 1921 by psychologist Lewis Terman on over 1,500 gifted adolescent Californians, “The strongest predictor of long life was conscientiousness.” Specific behaviours associated with low conscientiousness may explain its influence on longevity. Nine different behaviours are among the leading causes of mortality – alcohol use, disordered eating (including obesity), drug use, lack of exercise, risky sexual behaviour, risky driving, tobacco use, suicide, and violence – are all predicted by low conscientiousness.
Health behaviours are more strongly correlated with conventionality rather than the impulse-control aspect of conscientiousness. Social norms influence health-relevant behaviour, such as healthy diet and exercise, not smoking and moderate drinking, and highly conscientious people adhere the most strongly to these norms. Additionally, conscientiousness is positively related to health behaviours such as regular visits to a doctor, checking smoke alarms, and adherence to medication regimens. Such behaviour may better safeguard health and prevent disease.
Conscientiousness and other Big Five Traits
Careers and conscientiousness trait
It has been argued that how a person’s career unfolds is increasingly affected by their values, personality characteristics, goals and preferences. See the best-suited jobs for people high or low on conscientiousness.
Best jobs in case of high conscientiousness
- Top executive
- Fundraiser
- Event planner
- Lawyer
- Freelance writer
- Marketing Consultant
- Doctor
- Actor
- Business Owner
- Advertising Executive
- Politician
Best jobs in case of low conscientiousness
- Firefighter
- Sales Representative
- Technical Support
- Mechanic
- Landscaper
- Janitor
- Driver
Conscientiousness Famous Persons
The following personalities exhibit a high level of Conscientiousness:
- Angela Merkel – German Chancellor known for her methodical and responsible leadership.
- Warren Buffett – Business magnate known for his disciplined investment strategy and attention to detail.
- Barack Obama – Former U.S. President known for his thoughtful and deliberate approach.
- Elon Musk – CEO of multiple companies, known for his work ethic and attention to detail.
- Margaret Thatcher – Former UK Prime Minister known for her strong work ethic and discipline.
- Bill Gates – Co-founder of Microsoft, known for his meticulous approach to business and philanthropy.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg – U.S. Supreme Court Justice known for her meticulous legal work and dedication.
- Benjamin Franklin – Founding Father known for his disciplined approach to politics, science, and personal development.
- Marie Curie – Her scientific achievements reflect a high degree of diligence and perseverance.
- Jeff Bezos – Founder of Amazon, known for his strategic planning and rigorous work ethic.
Conscientiousness Book Recommendations
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Your Thoughts about Conscientiousness
It’s highly recommended that you jot down any ideas or reflections that come to mind regarding Conscientiousness, including related behaviours, emotions, situations, or other associations you may make. This way, you can refer back to them on your Dashboard or Reflect pop-ups, compare them with your current behaviours, and make any necessary adjustments to keep evolving. Learn more about this feature and how it can benefit you.
References
- John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big-Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives. In L. A. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (Vol. 2, pp. 102–138). New York: Guilford Press.
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(5th ed.). Arlington, VA.
- Zanto TP, Gazzaley A. Fronto-parietal network: Flexible hub of cognitive control. Trends Cogn. Sci. 2013
- Fox, M. D. & alumni (2006), Spontaneous neuronal activity distinguishes human dorsal and ventral attention systems, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2006
- Kersting, K. (2003). Personality changes for the better with age. Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association
- “Psychological Predictors of Long Life: An 80-year study discovers traits that help people to live longer”. Psychology Today. June 5, 2012.
- Roberts, B.W.; Jackson, J.J.; Fayard, J.V.; Edmonds, G.; Meints, J (2009). “Chapter 25. Conscientiousness”. In Mark R. Leary, & Rick H. Hoyle (ed.). Handbook of Individual Differences in Social Behavior. New York/London: The Guildford Press. pp. 257–273.Â
- Kern, Margaret L.; Friedman, Howard S. (2008–2009). Do conscientious individuals live longer? A quantitative review. Health Psychology.
