Me, Myself and Us summary

Have you ever taken a personality test? There are many of them out there, but most psychologists consider the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) to be the most reliable.

The TIPI is founded on the belief that everyone’s personality is based on the Big Five traits, which determine the way each of us reacts to the world around us.

After conscientiousness and agreeableness, the next major trait among the Big Five is neuroticism. Neuroticism determines how sensitive a person is to perceived threats and dangers.

Our ancestors developed neuroticism thousands of years ago because it helped them survive in precarious environments. They needed to stay aware of threats, like saber-toothed tigers.

A person’s Big Five traits stay more or less the same throughout their life. Free traits, on the other hand, may change as a person gathers new experiences.

Before we can understand how free traits work, though, we have to look at the three sources of personality, two of which are fixed and one of which changes.

Some people always seem to have the same personality, while others seem to change immensely depending on who they’re with. Why is this?

People change this way depending on whether they’re a high self-monitor (HSM) or a low self-monitor (LSM).

How much control do you have over your life? Personality psychologists believe there are two main attitudes for approaching this question.

Some people believe that they have a lot of control over their lives, and that luck and destiny play a small role. Others believe that their lives are mostly guided by external forces beyond their control.

Psychologists say that stress arises because of interruptions in a person’s daily routine. Different personalities confront these interruptions in different ways.

A person’s resistance to stress depends on their hardiness, which comprises three parts: commitment, control and challenge.