What are the Big 5?

The Big 5 is a set of descriptors for traits of our personality. Psychologist over the last few decades have tried various ways to describe the personality traits exhibited in human experience. Through large scale empirical analysis, they have arrived at five very good trait descriptions inherent in everyone’s personality. (These are roughly 50% inherited and are in our genes, mind you!) The remaining balance that seems to make up our characterizations is then based from external influences. I thought it would be fun to look at the archetypal signs of Astrology, and fit them into high, fair, and low categories of these informative trait characteristics. It’s easy to see, though, that Sun Sign Astrology alone would fall dramatically short of describing a person, but from my breakdown you can come to build and assume a broader personality when considering a person’s whole chart.

The Big 5

Openness to Experience

Described as being inventive and also curious of new ideas and abstract concepts.

People low in openness are more consistent and more broadly cautious of the unknown.

Dimensions:

Depth of Imagination, Depth of Emotions, Intellectual Curiosity, Artistic Interest, Willingness to Experiment, Tolerance for Diversity

Extraversion

Describes an individual who is energetic, talkative, and receives positive emotions from socialization.

Introverted people are quite drained from social interaction and act reserved or shy.

Dimensions:

Warmth (Demonstrates positive emotions towards others), Excitement-Seeking, Assertiveness, Gregariousness (Likes large groups), Positive Emotions, Activity Level

Conscientious

Aiming for higher achievement and having discipline.

Non-conscientious people tend to have a more care free approach to greater goals.

Dimensions:

Sense of Competence, Sense of Responsibility, Self-Discipline, Orderliness, Achievement-seeking, Deliberateness (Thinks carefully about decisions)

Agreeableness

Agreeable people are often more compassionate and willing to deny needs to get along with others.

Disagreeable people tend to fight for their own way more and detach themselves from emotions.

Dimensions:

Trust in others, Altruism, Modesty (Humbleness), Sincerity (Honesty), Compliance (Willing to deny their own needs to get along with others), Sympathy

Neuroticism

Neurotic individuals are prone to negative thoughts, stress, and doubts. They have a more difficult time getting over smaller conflicts than someone of normal neuroticism levels.

People low in neuroticism shrug off stress and threats more easily and appear more confidant and secure.

Dimensions:

Anxiety, Moodiness, Self-indulgence (Linked to Impulsiveness), Hostility, Self-Consciousness (Sensitivity to what others think of them), Sensitivity to Stress

Astrological Signs

Below are my own judgement based on many astrologist’s basic interpretations and texts of the archetypal signs throughout history.

Aries

Extroverted (450) – Conscientiousness (225)

High in:

Openness to Experience (425/600)

Imagination 75/100

Depth of Emotions 25/100

Intellectual Curiosity 75/100

Artistic Interest 50/100

Willingness to Experiment 100/100

Tolerance for Diversity 100/100

Extroversion (450/600)

Warmth 50/100

Excitement-Seeking 100/100

Assertiveness 100/100

Gregariousness (Likes large groups) 50/100

Positive Emotions 50/100

Activity Level 100/100

Neuroticism (450/600)

Anxiety 100/100

Moodiness 50/100

Self-indulgence 100/100

Hostility 100/100

Self-Consciousness 50/100

Sensitivity to Stress 50/100

Low in:

Agreeableness (350/600)

Trust in others 50/100

Altruism 50/100

Modesty 50/100

Sincerity 100/100

Compliance 50/100

Sympathy 50/100

Conscientiousness (225/600)

Sense of Competence 100/100

Sense of Responsibility 100/100

Self-Discipline 0/100

Orderliness 0/100

Achievement-seeking 25/100

Deliberateness 0/100

Taurus

Conscientiousness (500) – Openness to Experience (150)

High in:

Conscientiousness (500/600)

Sense of Competence 100/100

Sense of Responsibility 100/100

Self-Discipline 50/100

Orderliness 50/100

Achievement-seeking 100/100

Deliberateness 100/100

Agreeableness (350/600)

Trust in others 50/100

Altruism 75/100

Modesty 50/100

Sincerity 50/100

Compliance 75/100

Sympathy 50/100

Low in:

Extroversion (275/600)

Warmth 50/100

Excitement-Seeking 25/100

Assertiveness 75/100

Gregariousness 75/100

Positive Emotions 50/100

Activity Level 0/100

Neuroticism (225/600)

Anxiety 0/100

Moodiness 0/100

Self-indulgence 100/100

Hostility 75/100

Self-Consciousness 50/100

Sensitivity to Stress 0/100

Openness to Experience (150/600)

Imagination 25/100

Depth of Emotions 25/100

Intellectual Curiosity 25/100

Artistic Interest 75/100

Willingness to Experiment 0/100

Tolerance for Diversity 0/100

Gemini

Extroversion (550) – Conscientiousness (200)

High in:

Openness to Experience (375/600)

Imagination 25/100

Depth of Emotions 25/100

Intellectual Curiosity 100/100

Artistic Interest 75/100

Willingness to Experiment 100/100

Tolerance for Diversity 50/100

Extroversion (550/600)

Warmth 100/100

Excitement-Seeking 100/100

Assertiveness 100/100

Gregariousness 100/100

Positive Emotions 50/100

Activity Level 100/100

Neuroticism (375/600)

Anxiety 75/100

Moodiness 100/100

Self-indulgence 75/100

Hostility 0/100

Self-Consciousness 100/100

Sensitivity to Stress 25/100

Low in:

Agreeableness (250/600)

Trust in others 75/100

Altruism 50/100

Modesty 25/100

Sincerity 25/100

Compliance 25/100

Sympathy 50/100

Conscientiousness (200/600)

Sense of Competence 50/100

Sense of Responsibility 0/100

Self-Discipline 0/100

Orderliness 25/100

Achievement-seeking 50/100

Deliberateness 75/100

Cancer

Neuroticism (550) – Conscientiousness (250)

High in:

Neuroticism (550/600)

Anxiety 100/100

Moodiness 100/100

Self-indulgence 100/100

Hostility 50/100

Self-Consciousness 100/100

Sensitivity to Stress 100/100

Extroversion (450/600)

Warmth 75/100

Excitement-Seeking 75/100

Assertiveness 100/100

Gregariousness 100/100

Positive Emotions 75/100

Activity Level 25/100

Agreeableness (375/600)

Trust in others 75/100

Altruism 75/100

Modesty 50/100

Sincerity 25/100

Compliance 50/100

Sympathy 100/100

Openness to Experience (325/600)

Imagination 100/100

Depth of Emotions 100/100

Intellectual Curiosity 0/100

Artistic Interest 100/100

Willingness to Experiment 0/100

Tolerance for Diversity 25/100

Low in:

Conscientiousness (250/600)

Sense of Competence 50/100

Sense of Responsibility 50/100

Self-Discipline 0/100

Orderliness 25/100

Achievement-seeking 75/100

Deliberateness 75/100

Leo

Extroversion (600) – Conscientiousness (250)

High in:

Extroversion (600/600)

Warmth 100/100

Excitement-Seeking 100/100

Assertiveness 100/100

Gregariousness 100/100

Positive Emotions 100/100

Activity Level 100/100

Openness to Experience (375/600)

Imagination 100/100

Depth of Emotions 25/100

Intellectual Curiosity 75/100

Artistic Interest 75/100

Willingness to Experiment 50/100

Tolerance for Diversity 50/100

Agreeableness (350/600)

Trust in others 75/100

Altruism 75/100

Modesty 25/100

Sincerity 75/100

Compliance 50/100

Sympathy 50/100

Neuroticism (350/600)

Anxiety 25/100

Moodiness 25/100

Self-indulgence 100/100

Hostility 100/100

Self-Consciousness 50/100

Sensitivity to Stress 50/100

Low in:

Conscientiousness (250/600)

Sense of Competence 100/100

Sense of Responsibility 50/100

Self-Discipline 0/100

Orderliness 0/100

Achievement-seeking 50/100

Deliberateness 50/100

Virgo

Conscientiousness (500) – Extroversion (100)

High in:

Conscientiousness (500/600)

Sense of Competence 75/100

Sense of Responsibility 100/100

Self-Discipline 100/100

Orderliness 100/100

Achievement-seeking 50/100

Deliberateness 75/100

Neuroticism (325/600)

Anxiety 100/100

Moodiness 75/100

Self-indulgence 0/100

Hostility 0/100

Self-Consciousness 75/100

Sensitivity to Stress 75/100

Agreeableness (500/600)

Trust in others 50/100

Altruism 75/100

Modesty 100/100

Sincerity 75/100

Compliance 100/100

Sympathy 100/100

Openness to Experience (275/600)

Imagination 50/100

Depth of Emotions 50/100

Intellectual Curiosity 75/100

Artistic Interest 75/100

Willingness to Experiment 0/100

Tolerance for Diversity 25/100

Low in:

Extroversion (100/600)

Warmth 0/100

Excitement-Seeking 0/100

Assertiveness 0/100

Gregariousness 25/100

Positive Emotions 25/100

Activity Level 50/100

Libra

Agreeableness (500) – Neuroticism (225)

High in:

Agreeableness (500/600)

Trust in others 75/100

Altruism 75/100

Modesty 50/100

Sincerity 100/100

Compliance 100/100

Sympathy 75/100

Conscientiousness (375/600)

Sense of Competence 75/100

Sense of Responsibility 50/100

Self-Discipline 50/100

Orderliness 25/100

Achievement-seeking 75/100

Deliberateness 100/100

Extroversion (425/600)

Warmth 100/100

Excitement-Seeking 50/100

Assertiveness 75/100

Gregariousness 100/100

Positive Emotions 50/100

Activity Level 50/100

Openness to Experience (350/600)

Imagination 50/100

Depth of Emotions 25/100

Intellectual Curiosity 100/100

Artistic Interest 75/100

Willingness to Experiment 25/100

Tolerance for Diversity 25/100

Low in:

Neuroticism (225/600)

Anxiety 0/100

Moodiness 25/100

Self-indulgence 50/100

Hostility 0/100

Self-Consciousness 100/100

Sensitivity to Stress 50/100

Scorpio

Neuroticism (550) – Conscientiousness (250)

High in:

Openness to Experience (350/600)

Imagination 50/100

Depth of Emotions 100/100

Intellectual Curiosity 50/100

Artistic Interest 50/100

Willingness to Experiment 25/100

Tolerance for Diversity 75/100

Neuroticism (550/600)

Anxiety 100/100

Moodiness 100/100

Self-indulgence 75/100

Hostility 75/100

Self-Consciousness 100/100

Sensitivity to Stress 100/100

Extroversion (300/600)

Warmth 25/100

Excitement-Seeking 100/100

Assertiveness 75/100

Gregariousness 25/100

Positive Emotions 25/100

Activity Level 50/100

Agreeableness (500/600)

Trust in others 50/100

Altruism 75/100

Modesty 50/100

Sincerity 100/100

Compliance 75/100

Sympathy 75/100

Low in:

Conscientiousness (250/600)

Sense of Competence 75/100

Sense of Responsibility 50/100

Self-Discipline 50/100

Orderliness 25/100

Achievement-seeking 25/100

Deliberateness 25/100

Sagittarius

Extroversion (525) – Neuroticism (250)

High in:

Extroversion (525/600)

Warmth 75/100

Excitement-Seeking 100/100

Assertiveness 75/100

Gregariousness 75/100

Positive Emotions 100/100

Activity Level 100/100

Openness to Experience (400/600)

Imagination 50/100

Depth of Emotions 25/100

Intellectual Curiosity 75/100

Artistic Interest 50/100

Willingness to Experiment 100/100

Tolerance for Diversity 100/100

Conscientiousness (300/600)

Sense of Competence 75/100

Sense of Responsibility 75/100

Self-Discipline 50/100

Orderliness 0/100

Achievement-seeking 25/100

Deliberateness 75/100

Agreeableness (375/600)

Trust in others 75/100

Altruism 75/100

Modesty 75/100

Sincerity 100/100

Compliance 0/100

Sympathy 50/100

Low in:

Neuroticism (250/600)

Anxiety 0/100

Moodiness 0/100

Self-indulgence 100/100

Hostility 75/100

Self-Consciousness 50/100

Sensitivity to Stress 25/100

Capricorn

Conscientiousness (550) – Neuroticism (150)

High in:

Conscientiousness (550/600)

Sense of Competence 100/100

Sense of Responsibility 100/100

Self-Discipline 100/100

Orderliness 75/100

Achievement-seeking 100/100

Deliberateness 75/100

Low in:

Neuroticism (150/600)

Anxiety 25/100

Moodiness 50/100

Self-indulgence 25/100

Hostility 25/100

Self-Consciousness 25/100

Sensitivity to Stress 0/100

Openness to Experience (175/600)

Imagination 0/100

Depth of Emotions 25/100

Intellectual Curiosity 75/100

Artistic Interest 50/100

Willingness to Experiment 25/100

Tolerance for Diversity 0/100

Agreeableness (200/600)

Trust in others 25/100

Altruism 25/100

Modesty 25/100

Sincerity 50/100

Compliance 75/100

Sympathy 0/100

Extroversion (225/600)

Warmth 0/100

Excitement-Seeking 0/100

Assertiveness 100/100

Gregariousness 50/100

Positive Emotions 0/100

Activity Level 75/100

Aquarius

Extroversion (400) – Neuroticism (125)

High in:

Openness to Experience (375/600)

Imagination 50/100

Depth of Emotions 0/100

Intellectual Curiosity 100/100

Artistic Interest 25/100

Willingness to Experiment 100/100

Tolerance for Diversity 100/100

Extroversion (400/600)

Warmth 75/100

Excitement-Seeking 75/100

Assertiveness 75/100

Gregariousness 100/100

Positive Emotions 25/100

Activity Level 50/100

Agreeableness (325/600)

Trust in others 50/100

Altruism 100/100

Modesty 0/100

Sincerity 75/100

Compliance 0/100

Sympathy 100/100

Conscientiousness (300/600)

Sense of Competence 100/100

Sense of Responsibility 50/100

Self-Discipline 0/100

Orderliness 25/100

Achievement-seeking 50/100

Deliberateness 75/100

Low in:

Neuroticism (125/600)

Anxiety 25/100

Moodiness 25/100

Self-indulgence 25/100

Hostility 25/100

Self-Consciousness 0/100

Sensitivity to Stress 25/100

Pisces

Neuroticism (450) – Conscientiousness (50)

High in:

Agreeableness (400/600)

Trust in others 75/100

Altruism 100/100

Modesty 75/100

Sincerity 0/100

Compliance 50/100

Sympathy 100/100

Neuroticism (450/600)

Anxiety 75/100

Moodiness 75/100

Self-indulgence 75/100

Hostility 25/100

Self-Consciousness 100/100

Sensitivity to Stress 100/100

Openness to Experience (450/600)

Imagination 100/100

Depth of Emotions 100/100

Intellectual Curiosity 50/100

Artistic Interest 100/100

Willingness to Experiment 50/100

Tolerance for Diversity 50/100

Low in:

Conscientiousness (50/600)

Sense of Competence 0/100

Sense of Responsibility 0/100

Self-Discipline 0/100

Orderliness 0/100

Achievement-seeking 0/100

Deliberateness 50/100

Extroversion (275/600)

Warmth 75/100

Excitement-Seeking 75/100

Assertiveness 0/100

Gregariousness 50/100

Positive Emotions 50/100

Activity Level 25/100

Breakdown

Aries are high in extroversion, openness to experience, and neuroticism. They are fairly agreeable. They are low in conscientiousness. So be prepared to lean to be more agreeable on issues, control your anxieties to relax more in new situations and environments, and prepare to discipline yourself to follow through on large goals to the end. Their strengths lie in the ability to be assertive, putting their own motives forward, being straightforward and honest, willingness to try new things, willingness to adopt new ideas against long held beliefs, seeking excitement, high energy, and a sense of responsibility. The down side to this sign is lack of long-term discipline for projects, deliberate thinking, weighing things completely before they act, and being highly impulsive for short-term gains even becoming hostile due to their high anxieties.

Taurus are high in conscientiousness making them akin to taking on responsibilities. They are low in openness to experience though. So try to contemplate ideas outside of your comfort zone to expand your mind and heart. Taurus excel in climbing competence hierarchies, structuring long term goals, thinking before they act, having a sense of responsibility, have low stress levels and little anxiety and aren’t moody, are fairly compassionate and willing to deny their own needs for others. On the other hand they are rather self-indulgent oddly as well and love short-term pleasures, aren’t willing to try newer and newer things, and like the comfort of rigid unchanging systems.

Gemini’s can expect many friends in life, owing to their high extroversion. On the other hand they need to buckle down and promote structure and discipline in their lives. Gemini’s can expect to try new things as a given, as well as a driving intellectual curiosity. They are people people, offering positive conversation easily as they seek excitement and find home in social circles. They are fairly anxious and concerned what other’s think so should try to take some common episodes in life more lightly. They are fairly compassionate but could benefit from more depth of emotion and empathy and emotional understanding towards others and, especially, themselves.

Cancer’s are high in neuroticism, so they can expect emotions to surround them wherever they go, being highly withdrawn at times, anxious, sensitive to stress, and impulsiveness. They also benefit from being warm, welcoming, seeking excitement and groups, and a healthy amount of positive emotions like joy and happiness with a penchant for a sympathetic view. High imagination, artistic interests, and a depth of their emotions also aides them through their life. On the other hand, Cancer’s need to champion the need for honesty and intellectual curiosity and it’s value to them, finding ways to try new things out of their familiar comfort zone.

Leo’s are high extroverts, making friends with their incredible warmth and gregariousness, activity levels and positive emotions. They are highly creative and fairly altruistic and have intellectual curiosities. On the down side, they need to control their aggressiveness and impulses, using their sense of competence to order their lives and enact some self-discipline. They could learn greatly through their life to tap into their emotions and focus on being humble.

Virgo’s have an inherent sense of responsibility and discipline, along with being overtly humble and reserved. They are very compassionate and self-limiting to get along with others. In order to round out their internal selves, they can largely benefit from trying to be more light-hearted and warm up to others more easily, while curbing their anxieties and doubts of the world around them. They can also seek to make sure they aren’t ordering things just to order things being very high in orderliness, preoccupying themselves with lesser priorities, and try to open themselves up to newer things. Also, be wary of the feeling of disgust, since it’s highly associated with orderliness and is a baser human emotion.

Libra’s as you may have guessed are highly agreeable. Their intellectual pursuit and compliance makes them nice friends, who don’t rock the boat too often. They will see things from your point of view and may lend some helping advice. They are fairly conscientious excelling at deliberateness, the ability to weigh decisions before acting, and are fairly high achievers. Coupled with high extroversion, they are rather friendly and like social gatherings. On the downside they may be too vulnerable to what those around them say and think of them. They should also try to subvert existing structures in society when beneficial and value new ideas and takes on traditional systems.

Scorpio’s are high in neuroticism, which is basic emotional reaction. They may find themselves stewing in thoughts of anxiety, negative traits, and threats, coupled with impulsiveness, taking in all the world has to give. In this depth of emotion, they can learn quite a lot about the darker side of human experience, gaining much knowledge of how people work, and a willingness to accept new ideas no matter how against the grain or considered to be dark. They are fairly excitement-seeking and assertive to boot. They are compassionate and have quite a quest to learn what is true and honest, but should learn to be more conscientious, building the change they want to see in the world through hard work and discipline.

The Sagittarius is often a thrill seeking, gregarious, bundle of positive emotions. They are high in extroversion and open-mindedness, having a love of diversity coupled with their own intellectual pursuits, a disdain for tyrannical systems they often wish to tackle. Their quest for finding the truth in broader horizons can cause them to lack order within their own homes, so they should try to find practical ways to achieve there aims, focusing on self-discipline and the value of solving day to day problems. They should seek to curb their impulsiveness, which is quite high, and learn to accept some activities in life need delayed gratification to be achieved.

The Capricorn is a mountain climbing goat to no end. The attempt to order, discipline, and structure the world is quite high, reaching towards the heavens. With their lack of emotional consciousness, and focus on the real fruits of labor, they can get lost in the hustle and bustle of achievement and stand to gain a lot more from life by opening up and showing some warmth in their day to day interactions. They can stand to be more creative, imaginative, and agreeable towards those around them. Some structures are too rigid and unforgiving, and although you can take it, it’s something not everyone can, and the Capricorn can learn a lot from empathizing with other’s to find the greater truth there in how we should live and take care of one another in providing for the world.

The Aquarian is seated at an intellectual and compassionate height, blessed with an interest in the abstract, theories, and a willingness to try and appreciate new things and new ideas. Their emotion depth can be quite low though, and their day to day emotional reactions and exchanges with the world I’m sure can be quite foreign to them. They stand to learn to be humble and compliant with preexisting boxes and rules from which the world brings forth, superseding long laid structure only when it is truly beneficial.

The Pisces can count on their goodwill towards others from a high amount of agreeableness and openness to experience, fostering a care for others and a higher ideal to see the good in everyone, especially those that need it the most! High in emotions, they can feel the darker side of humanity quite easily, and should learn ways to cope with stress and anxieties as they traverse the world. With a lack of honesty about harsher realities, they can stand to be more honest with the world around them as they risk disorienting themselves in an already confusing world. Conscientiousness is lacking as well, so they should learn basics of ordering their homes, disciplining themselves, and structuring their path to success in the long run.

Tips on how to help yourself evolve a trait you are lacking:

Conscientiousness

Focus on making lists and completing them!

Make great goals for yourself that you wish to achieve this year and make sub-list in order to achieve them slowly but surely, taking your pitfalls knowingly into account. Remember, start small!

Organize your bedroom, you living room, and home life.

Track your finances studiously, and you’ll even end up saving money detecting where waste is unneeded!

Make necessary doctor and specialist appointments to keep up on your health and diet.

Try to develop positive routines that clearly benefit you. At first it may be begrudging, but slowly it will become a part of who you are.

Reflect on your personal achievements in life and give yourself a fair shake on how and in what ways you are surely competent in those areas, and how from now on you can rely on yourself to be a source of knowledge on that subject for the world.

Try not to rush into purchases and big decisions in life without consulting your own thoughts deeply and possibly advice from colleagues.

Determine your few biggest responsibilities in life that mean a lot to you and you would be fairly upset if you failed at, and from now on be prepared to meet them with shining charge.

Openness to Experience

Read new and abstract literature on science, philosophy, or psychology. Or listen to lectures easily found online. It’s important to choose topics you are actually interested in.

Learn about other cultures, traditions, and histories of people that are foreign to you, discovering why they became the culture that they are, particularly from speaking to one such individual.

Paint, write, or take up a hobby that develops a creative side you enjoy.

Learn about different structures and governing bodies throughout history, and how they have evolved into what they are today.

Try a new food or activity you are partially afraid of trying, but have had a life long interest or aversion.

Buy art for your home that you enjoy and be quite picky about it!

Examine your thoughts and feelings on an encounter that you feel your actions drew conflict with in you, and try to objectively determine how you are going to change in the positive from that.

Extroversion

Give a new acquaintance or stranger the benefit of the doubt and say hi to them or say something positive.

Go to a large social gathering, concert, or party, and try to enjoy yourself.

Be disagreeable when needed. Stand up for yourself and your ideas, or an injustice you see happening to you.

Try to develop an exercise routine the best you can. Start small. Try to eat right, and focus on foods that are known to promote good health and energy.

Try to laugh or smile more in moments where you may be subduing these urges.

Neroticism

Reflect on some of your fears and try to see if they are truly as bad as your worrying seems to warrant.

Develop a purpose for yourself in this world that will truly resonate within you, and realize you are the only one who can take up this particular charge for yourself. Try to feel positive and manage your success towards this goal, if only little by little, and do not sway from yourself. You are here for a reason! And it’s for you to decide! Truly come to know that a purpose will offset the harsh nature of the world. “He who has a why can bare any how.” -Nietzsche

Try to calm yourself down and express yourself calmly when irritable and confronted with conflict.

Try to separate yourself from negative friends or support that reinforces bad habits that does not allow yourself to grow and become who you want to be. Let negative comments and insults go to the wayside, as they have little use to you when meant to simply cause harm.

Seek help from a doctor, therapist, psychiatrist, psychologist, or talk to a friend. More people are willing to listen to you and care about you than you realize.

Agreeableness

Learn to trust others and let your shield down and open up when you think you can.

Be as honest and truthful as you can. The world is confusing enough, and when we lie we disorient ourselves in the world, coming to not know reality from the nonreality we weave. It’s hard to develop solid relationships with others and even ourselves without honesty as the foundation, and you can now stop yourself from avoiding responsibility and having guilt where you otherwise would be proud of yourself! It opens up a whole new meaning of the world where every action you take matters and you’ll be better for it.

Make it a point to donate to a charity of your choosing or push yourself to lend a helping hand to someone in need.

Admit when you are wrong when you otherwise may try to draw attention away from it.

Envision putting yourself in someone else’s shoes who may otherwise give you emotions of judgement or disdain.