What is Conscientiousness?

This video describes the personality trait of conscientiousness from the five-factor model of personality. The five-factor model of personality traits, which is also known as “The Big Five” model of personality. In this model, personality comprises five personality traits: openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The acronym OCEAN is helpful for remembering the personality traits. Conscientiousness is characterized by impulse control, planning tasks carefully, being highly organized, and prudence. Individuals who are high in conscientiousness tend to be prioritize, take time to analyze situations, have good attention to detail, be reliable, and like a schedule. They have high self-discipline, do well in school, and are concerned with how they are perceived by others. Extreme conscientiousness is associated with perfectionism and difficultly making decisions.
Openness to experience is characterized by insight, creativity, an appreciation of art, liking theories, abstract thinking, fantasizing, challenging authority, flexibility, adventurousness, intellectual curiosity, and a high awareness of feelings. Extreme openness to experience is associated with disruptive levels of non-conformity, alienation of potential friends, and fantasizing too much. Individuals who score low on openness to experience tend to dislike change, make safe decisions, have a restricted range of interests, and like routines. Extraversion is characterized by getting energy from social interaction, talkativeness, and having a large number of acquaintances. Agreeableness is characterized by being cooperative, increased level of caring, empathy, friendly, seeking to compromise. Neuroticism is characterized by mood dysregulation, anxiety, worry, depression, frustrating, nervousness, being easily upset, and low emotional stability. Genetics explain about 50% of personality traits, but the percentage is not the same for every personality traits. Conscientiousness, like all personality traits, tends to be stable over time.

[@briannagoitiandia9833]

It was helpful for it to be explained that while personality traits usually remain the same, people can change their behaviors in order to be more conscientious.

[@joebovovitch7803]

I'm high in conscientiousness in some ways and very low in others

[@latinaalma1947]

I was crippled as a child and had to wear heavy steel and leather leg braces from the age of 2 to 4 to straighten my legs. I had to adapt early to,working hard to be ambulatory. WAlking is a developmental drive and giving up on that at that critical developmental stage of walking running etc just wasn't an option. SO I learned determination and to NEVER give up just bec something was hard. I really think this coupled with some inheritance of this trait from my parents and grandparents. I learned how to go around and push through obstacles in my life and there have been my share of those. LIfe being made too easy by parents is I suspect, the wrong thing to do. Building confidence through appropriate levels of challenge leads to mastery of skills and becomes a behavioral pattern....I am GRATEFUL for what I called my "boots" as a child. THey taught me some valuable lessons very early in life...never give up just bec. something seems hard. Giving up just keeps your life at a standstill....we are meant to grow better an better, not to give up. SYbil Francis PhD academic and practising psychologist ret.

[@johnharrisjr2808]

Great explanation of conscientiousness! A person that is on the higher end of conscientious will set clear goals and pursue them with determination

[@rhondabaileyyy]

It makes sense to me that a person with high conscientiousness would have less incidents with the law because they are concerned about how others look at them.

[@lizconnor1820]

Based on the characteristics of this personality trait, particularly an individual's concern with appearances, I wonder if an individual high in conscientiousness might also be higher in neuroticism traits like self-consciousness. It would be interesting to see if there is a correlation between any of the facets found in both traits.

[@monicaperry13]

It’s interesting that people who are more conscientious usually have more affectionate parents. I find these personality traits to be quite interesting and the videos to be very informative!

[@oscarl.3563]

I look for matching colors, sometimes. It's good to know how to look confident in scraps and how to do the best with what you have, though.

[@lewisburton1852]

I want to have a higher level of Conscientiousness I feel a restless need for order and discipline but I just fall back to old habits it’s super frustrating.

[@angelinastanton7996]

I agree that it is more difficult for me to see the downside to being extremely conscientious. I appreciate that this video discussed the negative aspect of being extremely conscientious, such as developing symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

[@avalianiii]

I don't think higher levels of consciousness would be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder but rather to Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder. Because the first disorder is more impulse related as far as I'm concerned - one can't inhibit, restrict, control his/her own addictionlike behavior; This even contradicts one of the main characteristics of conscientiousness - impulse control - and thus this disorder may even have negative correlation to conscientiousness. Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder though is related to excessive attention to order, which sounds exactly like extremely conscientious person.

[@ANGEL-eh6pd]

I know I am too high in C. It causes me to be extremely hyper vigilant with everything I do. and say. It causes more indecisiveness too.

[@LegalBro]

Great Video! I didn’t realize that impulse control was the cornerstone of consciousness. Subscribed. Great stuff.

[@centraltexasbear9973]

awesome video my dude. thanks

[@zeldamage001]

Thanks for the explenation, I learned a lot here! One thing that does not sound completely right, is the statement that conscientiousness is purely a positive attribute. To me, it sounds like conscientiousness people take more effort and have more ability in controlling their lifes. It seems to me this could lead to the suppression of impulses, emotions and thoughts that may be perceived as bad, but might not be bad at all. This also ties into the idea, that more willpower and impulse control leads to a more streamlined and optimized thought process, therefore cutting out a lot of the meandering of thoughts, distractions and unplanned associations that are required for being creative and stepping out of the predictable path. It would be wonderful if anyone could share their views on this with me!

[@gurikasemit]

He actually mentioned that.

[@rizfalah4414]

l took this topic be my research. thanks Doc for this information.

[@billhildebrand5053]

Six facets. 1. Self Efficacy - ability to accomplish things. To want to achieve tasks. They feel ability and effective. 2. Orderliness, plan, routine, lists. Schedule, and make lists. 3. Dutifulness, obligTion, moral rule. Score high, sense of moral obligation. Low, view irresponsible. 4. Achievement striving. Work diligently to achieve success. One element, if too high, too narrow minded. Too achievement.. 5. Self disciplined will power. When I went to MMBI. 6. Cautious, deliberateness - not impulse. A wise man is cautious. Tends to think thru all aspects. Associated with impulsivity. Usually move in concurrence..

[@elgabenedicta]

So helpful. Thank you for the explanation. I'm a conscientious personality, based on the The Big Five personality test and an ISTJ, based on MBTI. I found the explanation pretty accurate and it really helps me recognize my strengths and weaknesses.

[@DrGrande]

You're welcome!

[@christianlewis7055]

I associated with that whole thing, especially the concern for appearances (sometimes it's more about aesthetics, but appearances is an appropriate word at times too), and also especially the negative aspect of taking a long time to make decisions and getting stuck in analysis paralysis. I always annoy my mates by taking too long to pick a snack at 7 Eleven. But it goes beyond that, I've failed businesses from over thinking details.

[@jamiew6326]

Could you talk about having high conscientiousness and ADHD? You kind of touched on the behaviors changing while the personality stays the same....but honestly the majority of this video sounded like you were speaking about unmedicated ADHD.

[@demetriusmiddleton1246]

Extremely interesting video! Thank you! I would be curious to know how one can change the behaviors associated with the trait but not where they fall on the scale pertaining to that trait? I would think the behaviors determine where you fall on that scale, although I could see how that wouldn't be the case, it's just not obvious how. For example, let's say I was a low in conscientiousness. And then I was able to change the behaviors associated with my consciousness so that my behavior is now indicate high in conscientiousness. If I came in for evaluation, how would I still rate low in conscientiousness? It looks like you touched on this subject at the end of the video, but that seems to contradict the thought that it's somewhat improbable to change where someone rates in a certain trait , and not just the behavior. Obviously I just need to learn more about this field and subject, but that would be my immediate question. Thank you again for all of this free information you produce!

[@annmurry8589]

I'm around 75 conscientious. Most of this applies to me but I drop off on concern for appearances. Looking the part and staying functionally clean are developed but being immaculate and taking pride in appearance falls off. I embrace imperfection and focus on extremely high levels of analysis, planning, results, and conviction of principles. My highest, though, is openness around 95. Agreeableness and Extraversion are around 40 - I forget wich is higher. But watch out! Neuroticism is also high! It is close to conscientiousness but conscientiousness is a little higher so the crazy might not be obvious right away. 😀

[@gurikasemit]

This might be a weird question doc but I was wondering, what are the chances on an individual to appear highly conscious and also display typical ADHD traits in the same day during different types of tasks?

[@maxjamesfashion]

I wasn't conscientious until grad school!😁

[@godivafromsteamhouse7419]

Thanks Doc! I'm one who tends to score very low on conscientiousness and I have seen how that has worked against me. On that note, I want to be able to manage it. I've tried courses and peer groups but it's something that's been slow to master or increase conscientiousness. Your videos have been really helpful. And I really take your advice on modifying behaviour. Thanks a lot.

[@kashbash9645]

Very much appreciate the thorough video Description.

[@destinycoleman1167]

this is awesome

[@amandagerrick5004]

It was interesting to hear that conscientiousness is really the "cornerstone of impulse control." I had never thought of it that way but now it makes a lot more sense why one person may be more conscientious than another person.

[@zureezee1887]

I agree with you Amanda I did not think that conscientious people are higher performing and better employees and I guess that's why it's the "cornerstone of impulse control" but I was surprised on the appearance part with matching color

[@angelinastanton7996]

Before learning about conscientiousness, I had no idea that it had anything to do with impulse control. I also was not aware of the downside to being extremely conscientious.

[@ANGEL-eh6pd]

Wow I knew my C and O, E, N was too high. But I'm only 54 Agreeabke. I am working on my boundary issues. Thank you for your videos.

[@michaelcameron2166]

well i have what you said. I've had people that call me an istj explain "you're physically messy, not messy in a metaphysical sense". My room is always a mess, but I have good analysis ability, prioritization ability, I prefer schedules, plan things out, etc, I just can't seem to find the time to clean my apartment.

[@MattEdwards1]

What strategies could someone with low conscientiousness use to become more effective/productive? Or is there any research that looks at strategies for greater life satisfaction for those who tend to have low conscientiousness?

[@teresapait2027]

helpful video - thank you

[@Triay314]

This was so good man , thank you

[@Mars-nr3mb]

High consciousness is more prone to anxiety as they tend to care about others' opinions about them and set higher standard for their own apperance and performances. Japanese culture is a typical example of high consciousness society where people view others' opinions highly that many people suffer from social anxiety thus wear masks in public and even completely withdraw from society.

[@MBTIMemes]

Is it that conscientious people are less impulsive or is it that they simply have less impulses?

[@stefanlindstromkeynotespeaker]

I think I have seen Dr Todd on entrepreneurs and Conscientiousness, and low Agreeableness or - anyone knows? Or maybe it was Jordan B and vice versa

[@veronicabetz9452]

Are there any factors that could cause this trait to not be stable over time?

[@neon3893]

Wonder if concienciousness & personal standards' in different areas of life are connceted ? I think they might be

[@jackomokallen2971]

On point. Ty

[@Ellie-qq9zm]

I would love if Dr. Grande could share his own Big 5 profile and analyse his own personality. This would be a more personal video, but I would be curious to see what his results are. I can guess on a few items whether he would be high or low on some of them.

[@Beefis99]

This needs to be more nuanced... Conscientiousness is broken down into 2 categories 1) industriousness and 2) orderliness. I am above average in orderliness but below average in industriousness.

[@marshapelo9830]

Basically, it means you care alot about everything.

[@janicedixon2051]

Very clear explanation. One take away from this video is that conscientiousness focuses on impulse control.

[@kelly4321]

With all things, it seems for one to be a well rounded individual it is best to have all these personality traits be in the middle. Having an extreme of something is never good or very desirable.

[@demetriusmiddleton1246]

"It seems" to who? How do you say "never good or very desirable", so assuredly, without ANY proof? Of course the easy answer is "in the middle", but whereas the evidence to support that conclusion with regards to THIS subject?

[@regularguy3879]

I think i would kill myself from boredom in a flat world like that

[@mauno100]

@@regularguy3879 Sounds a bit extreme for such a level headed person.

[@NiecyQ]

I'm at 80%, regularly.

[@ranjnawalia3104]

Conscientiousness personality traits has most effect on job performance

[@mominator69]

Impulse control this is the defining aspect of conscienciousness. And being high in this area shows a better character than those who score low but I must say that is a disgusting example of what a better character is. A narcissistic person is by nature higher in this trait. A pathological person who is a serial killer is also higher in this area. I have to disagree with as the defining factor. Showing your emotions is considered poor impulse control and that means you have low character but if you have no emotions to show or are stoic then that means you have high moral character. I call BS not because I lack impulse control or because I score low in this area but rather because I have seen, and survived the calculated abuse of a person who was high in this trait and displayed tremendous impulse control but behind closed doors they were the most sadistic monster imaginable. Impulse control is yes important so you dont run around hurting people without even being aware if it but those strong in this area do not always gave higher moral character and visa versa. Emotion regulation can be affected by trauma, a trigger to that trauma will likely put the person into fight flight freez and when this happens the individual is no longer in a thinking state of mind their actions are based on this past trauma and the ability to reach their higher function skills such as reasoning and analysis are impeded. It could take minutes to hours for this individual to come down from this state of mind and logically see their environment so they can process the input. Some people will intentionally trigger a fear in a victim in an effort to put them in this state of mind so they can hide a bad behavior and manipulate the victims perception of reality. A person who does not show their emotion is actually rather dangerous. Of course there degrees this is not a one size fit for all people but that idea is given that high impulse control shows hi ch as character and that is simply just not true and suggest such is not only shaming and irresponsible it is also, abusive by negligence even dangerous and destructive toward those who for whatever reason are spontaneous, creative, disorganized and free spirited. Emotional intelligence is also a shaming term and its implications follow the same format those who are stoic are more intelligent emotionally but honest if they dont show their emotions because they stuff so much that they can't even identify what their emotions are that does not make them more emotionally intelligent and those who can't help but to wear them on their sleeve are not less emotionally intelligent, if what they display is what they actually feel, they are not only more emotionally intelligent, they are brave and honest. Those qualities in my opinion trump organization and stoicism in higher character features. Anyone can be taught to disassociate from their emotions and therefore score high but truth when you do this it is dishonest, and quite frankly rather a weak feature. I am thankful that I am me, emotionally sensitive and all because I look in the mirror and though I may see a monster for the ways I behaved at times, I know that behavior was in fear and I accept responsibility for that behavior and I accept that within me there is a capacity to harm others. Those who hold it all inside put themselves on a higher level than those who share their feelings that is narcissism in its highest and it is abhorrent. Those who do not share their feeling will never look in the mirror because if they ever did the monster of who they are will consume them because their actions, which they justify because they are better than another, will most certainly take their retribution on that individual soul the things that they have done to others and refused to see.

[@oscarl.3563]

It's probably better for a man that he doesn't care too much what other people think. If your contentions stems from the approval of other people you're really at their mercy, and bound to play by their rules. I'm glad that I score low. To each and their own.

[@rpcarnell]

My Conscientiousness is close to 0. I never finish anything. Jump from one project to another without finishing a single one.

[@traciehiggins7420]

So everyone is just one of these personality types? There’s no mixing of a couple? Very interesting! 🧐

[@ciaran6309]

Fake it till u make it

[@davestambaugh7282]

In an occupation where problem solving is important the concientious

[@MrDogonjon]

What about self consciousness? If we were truly aware of our interactions in the world with people animals and objects we should all be very self conscious and constantly in shame , embarrassed for our inability to exist with out destroying.

[@matthiaswalker38]

I thought the title was "What is Consciousness?"

[@s.a.6082]

One downside I’ve noticed in a lot of my very conscientious family members is they tend to be arrogant self righteous pricks 😂 so there’s that

[@hawtsauce2471]

Why do i have only 50% of these traits

[@lobsterwhisperer7932]

Why is there is such an inordinate amount of narcissistic comments, in the reply section...in the majority of your videos?

[@Annenigmatic]

**weeps in ADHD**

[@stuartmachin9085]

They are great but they are also annoying