Personality is a complex but interesting thing, and everyone exhibits an array of traits like altruism, egoism, extroversion, or others. Here’s a complete guide to different personality traits so you can understand your personality better.

Hey there! There are around 7 billion people in the world yet all of us are quite distinct not only when it comes to our physical features but also our personality. We come across various people during the course of our day, while some are amiable, others might come across as a bit hostile. Some are social while some prefer being reserved.

Although people exhibit numerous personality traits, they can be broadly categorised based on consistency, stability and individual differences. Some people might come across as super active on some days while they wouldn’t be ready to leave the bed on others. Some might seem gregarious on a few days but grim otherwise. Therefore, we can’t decide their personality based on their temporary behaviour.

A person needs to be consistent in exhibiting a particular trait, only then the particular trait can be a part of their personality. Let us take a look at the most prominent personality traits we come across in daily life, so that you can get a full sense of what your overall personality is like.

Most Prominent Personality Traits

Extrovert

Are you someone who finds it extremely comfortable to socialise, who speaks to strangers as if they are long-lost friends? Such people are known as extroverts, who are usually frank and open about their feelings and thoughts. They are confident and more likely to say things upfront.

Introvert

Contrary to an extrovert, introverts are the ones who prefer to stay well within their boundaries. They are the wallflowers who would gladly avoid parties or cancel plans last minute. People with such personality traits find it uncomfortable to open up to strangers and more often than not, they are amazing listeners. They also tend to have the most colourful minds.

Also read: Soft Skills for Students: Top 15 Soft Skills to Develop Early On

Competent

Competent is a personality trait that comprises tremendous skills, knowledge, and the ability to do things. People who are competent are capable of doing things in a particular or multiple areas in an efficient manner. They are responsible and often at the top of their game. For example, Monica from Friends is competent at her job and also cleanliness.

Dutiful

A dutiful person is responsible and stays true to their duties. They make sure that the tasks assigned to them are completed on time. They deliver quality work and prioritize their duties or chores assigned to them before other things.

Disciplined

Discipline is probably the first life lesson we learn in schools. Certain types of behaviour or activities are appreciated in society like punctuality, rule-following, sticking to a set schedule, etc. The ones whose behaviour is in line with these are known to be disciplined.

Sociable

Do you love updating your social media followers about the day to day happenings? For example, the trip you are likely to take or maybe the show you plan to binge-watch? Do you enjoy parties? Social people are often charming and have a way with their words, they can enjoy being surrounded by friends, and tend to have a super active social life.

Assertive

The ones who are particular about what they want and don’t hesitate to communicate their ideas or preferences are assertive. Being assertive can be both a positive or a negative character trait, depending on its quotient and reason.

Angry

Anger is one such personality trait that is common to mankind. Almost all of us must have been angry at one point or the other. However, anger is quite dangerous for both our physical and mental well being. Short-tempered people seem to have higher blood pressure levels, which has hazardous consequences, giving birth to several health ailments.

Optimist

Optimists are the hopeful lot, the ones who always see the glass as half-full. They manage to find hope even in the most terrible situations. They swear by the phrase, ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’. However, being optimistic pays off well, you tend to be happier. You get the courage to brave troublesome situations.

Pessimist

Pessimists are the opposite of optimists, the ones who see a glass as half empty. Pessimists are often melancholic and enjoy living in their own bubble. They resolve to self-doubt, self-depreciation and sometimes even hurt others in the process.

Trusting

People who easily trust others are the ones who fall into this category. These people come across as more friendly and innocent. However, such people can be easily manipulated, hence, we need to be careful before trusting others or else one can get betrayed.

Straight-forward

Are you someone who is unaware of the wonders of flattery? Well, probably you are one of these. People who don’t believe in running in circles and prefer saying things straight are straightforward.

Anxious

Anxious people are the ones who panic quickly during adverse situations. At times, even when they haven’t encountered the actual problem, they feel future anxiety for the things that might come their way. Most of us feel anxious at certain points, but if one feels anxious on a regular basis then there can be some underlying issues and they can ask for help.

Well-Mannered

People who know about the various soft skills and are always at their best behaviour are known to be well-mannered. This includes a set of things that we are expected to practise in a social circle or while connecting with others such as speaking politely, being chivalrous, respecting elders, using appropriate language, etc.

Impulsive

Those who act on an impulse are known to be impulsive and in the aftermath, it may not turn out to be your best decision. People lacking patience tend to act without much thought. In the process, one might come across as naive, hence, well-thought actions are appreciable. However, impulsive people are also risk-takers, and fun-loving, which sometimes pays off!

Vulnerable

People wearing their hearts on their sleeves are often vulnerable. If you are vulnerable then you are might take your sweet time while building trust with new people, but once you do, there’s no turning back! However, vulnerable people are at risk of easily get hurt as they are likely to be very self-critical, trust others’ criticism blindly and take small things to heart.

Self-motivated

Oftentimes people find themselves struggling to finish an assignment or reach a goal. Lack of motivation seems to be a prominent reason behind this. On the other hand, the self-motivated lot finds it easy to reach their goal, be it exercising every day, or doing the laundry. If you have the capability to encourage yourself to be productive, you are self-motivated.

Self-conscious

A right amount of self-consciousness implies that a person has the capability to assess themselves such as their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, self-conscious people can work on their weaknesses and polish their strengths in order to become a better version of themselves.

Active

Are you always on the go or super energetic?! Being active is a positive personality trait as it keeps you involved. Active people are always willing to engage themselves in new stuff, be it taking coding classes, or trying their hand at cooking. They are always up to something!

Lazy

Lazy, as we know, is the opposite of being active. Interestingly, laziness is one of the seven deadly sins, which means it is not really a positive personality trait. A sluggish lifestyle can also have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. It is advisable to quit being a couch potato, and trying to stay active.

Logical

Left-brained people or the ones who’s left part of the brain is more dominant tend to be logical. Their thoughts and views are always backed by facts. They are amazing at reasoning and possess commendable analytical skills. They use logic and reasoning to find a solution to a potential problem.

Creative

Our brain is split into two halves, while the left half is responsible for analytical and critical thinking, the right half forms the creative and artistic side. People who are creative can always add value to existing concepts or ideas. They are imaginative and tend to think out-of-the box. They are also known as right-brained people, as the right part of their brain is more dominant.

Egocentric

Contrary to altruistic, egoistic people are the ones who are solely concerned about their own well-being. At times, people around them have to reel under the unfavourable outcomes of their cynical behaviour. They are self-centred and insensitive to the world around them.

Altruistic

This world certainly needs more people with an altruistic personality trait. They are the ones who are kind and selfless, who think about others and work towards helping them. Such people tend to be philanthropic and find new ways to positively contribute to society.

Punctual

Being punctual is one such personality trait that is appreciated everywhere right from the point one starts school till your adult life. Being punctual is important for almost every sphere, be it dates, parties, meetings, or appointments. Hence, one should try to inculcate this trait at an early stage.

Agreeable

As the name suggests, people who are agreeable are always happy to accept the ideas of others around them, they often have trouble saying no. Although not a negative trait, being agreeable wouldn’t always yield a positive outcome. Hence, the art of saying no is quite important!

Procrastinating

The habit of leaving things for the next day and then to the next is known as procrastination. It is advisable to keep procrastination at bay, you can do this by making a list of things you plan to achieve in a certain span and ensure that you reach your goals. Practising this on a regular basis can help you evade the habit of procrastinating.

Although the list of all personality traits can be pretty long as people exhibit varied personality, the ones mentioned above are the most prominent ones. A combination of these personality traits helps define the personality of an individual. While some of these are dominant traits, some- not so much! For example, a person can be extremely kind yet have anger issues. Whereas some can be categorised as extroverts but still have creative personality.

So, what do you think about the personality traits mentioned in this list, which one of these do you exhibit more often? Let us know by tweeting at @CareerNuts.