[Company name] Human personality is characterised by notable sex differences. Critically discuss this claim and any real-world implications. Word Count: 2000
Candidate Number: 1913858 Understanding the motivations of behaviour has been central to research in psychological behaviour; analysis of personality allows psychologists to delve deeper into understanding the roots of behaviour. Personality is defined as the extent to which an individual exhibits certain traits. The big five factor model (FFM) of personality describes human personality as being divided into 5 measurable traits; neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness, extraversion and agreeableness (Maltby, Day & Macaskill, 2013). These traits are constituted by a series of facets which help measure the levels exhibited of a specific trait. These traits can be influenced by a series of factors such as sex. The notion of personality being characterised by sex differences has been a crucial point of research. Through the comparison of trait levels amongst sexes in various cultures and age brackets researchers appear to reach the common consensus that human personality is characterised by notable sex differences (Gray,2018). This paper will critically explore this statement and examine the implications of these differences in real world contexts such as measuring intelligence. Schmitt et al (2008) reported cross-cultural findings from across 55 cultures and established a clear pattern of sex specific personality traits amongst the populations. Based on responses from the FFM and a calculation of the magnitude of differences (d), it was discovered women scored higher than males in neuroticism (d=0.40), extraversion (d=0.10), agreeableness (d=0.15) and conscientiousness (d=0.12). Across the four traits there was a consistent trend of women scoring higher levels across a range of cultures. In 'openness' (d = - 0.05) this pattern was not as clear cut, women only scored higher in 18 cultures while men scored higher in 37; though, it is key to note only amongst 12 of these cultures were the differences statistically significant. This report concludes personality is influenced by sex differences and explains that these differences are innate features which are displayed globally. A criticism of this report would be its lack of attention to the intricate detail of each trait. As aforementioned each trait is constituted by a series of facets which help give a clearer measurement of each personality trait. Schmitt et al (2008) failed
Candidate Number: 1913858 to dissect these facets in the report thus resulting in an overly simplified account of sex differences. Weisberg et al (2011) investigated the level of sex differences amongst adults on a domain and facet level, an element which was missed by previous research. It identified the most significant sex difference to be in neuroticism. While women scored higher overall, men scored higher in certain neurotic facets. Women were found to score higher in neurotic facets such as anxiety and low self-esteem, whereas males scored higher specifically in anger and hostility facets (Costa et al, 2001). It was found that women also scored significantly higher in agreeableness and its related facets such as tender mindedness (Feingold, 1994). Women exhibited higher