The Items in the Big Five Aspects Scales

 
Neuroticism
Combined
Volatility and Withdrawal 20-item scale (Alpha = .89)

Volatility
10-item
scale (Alpha = .85)
+
keyed Get
angry easily.
Get
upset easily.
Change
my mood a lot.
Am
a person whose moods go up and down easily.
Get
easily agitated.
Can
be stirred up easily.

–
keyed Rarely
get irritated.
Keep
my emotions under control.
Rarely
lose my composure.
Am
not easily annoyed.

Withdrawal
10-item
scale (Alpha = .84)
+
keyed Am
filled with doubts about things.
Feel
threatened easily.
Worry
about things.
Am
easily discouraged.
Become
overwhelmed by events.
Am
afraid of many things.

–
keyed Seldom
feel blue.
Feel
comfortable with myself.
Rarely
feel depressed.
Am
not embarrassed easily.

Agreeableness
Combined
Compassion and Politeness 20-item scale (Alpha = .84)

Compassion
10-item
scale (Alpha = .84)
+
keyed Feel
others’ emotions.
Inquire
about others’ well-being.
Sympathize
with others’ feelings.
Take
an interest in other people’s lives.
Like
to do things for others.

–
keyed Am
not interested in other people’s problems.
Can’t
be bothered with other’s needs.
Am
indifferent to the feelings of others.
Take
no time for others.
Don’t
have a soft side.

Politeness
10-item
scale (Alpha = .75)
+
keyed Respect
authority.
Hate
to seem pushy.
Avoid
imposing my will on others.a
Rarely
put people under pressure.b

–
keyed Insult
people.
Believe
that I am better than others.
Take
advantage of others.
Seek
conflict.
Love
a good fight.
 Am
out for my own personal gain.

Conscientiousness
Combined
Industriousness and Orderliness 20-item scale (Alpha = .84)

Industriousness
10-item
scale (Alpha = .81)
+
keyed Carry
out my plans.
Finish
what I start.
Get
things done quickly.
Always
know what I am doing.

–
keyed Waste
my time.
Find
it difficult to get down to work.
Mess
things up.
Don’t
put my mind on the task at hand.
Postpone
decisions.
Am
easily distracted.

Orderliness
10-item
scale (Alpha = .80)
+
keyed Like
order.
Keep
things tidy.
Follow
a schedule.
Want
everything to be “just right.”
See
that rules are observed.
Want
every detail taken care of.

–
keyed Leave
my belongings around.
Am
not bothered by messy people.
Am
not bothered by disorder.
Dislike
routine.

Extraversion
Combined
Enthusiasm and Assertiveness 20-item scale (Alpha = .85)

Enthusiasm
10-item
scale (Alpha = .81)
+
keyed Make
friends easily.
Warm
up quickly to others.
Show
my feelings when I’m happy.
Have
a lot of fun.
Laugh
a lot.

–
keyed Am
hard to get to know.
Keep
others at a distance.
Reveal
little about myself.
Rarely
get caught up in the excitement.
Am
not a very enthusiastic person.c

Assertiveness
10-item
scale (Alpha = .85)
+
keyed Take
charge.
Have
a strong personality.
Know
how to captivate people.
See
myself as a good leader.
Can
talk others into doing things.
Am
the first to act.

–
keyed Do
not have an assertive personality.d
Lack
the talent for influencing people.
Wait
for others to lead the way.
Hold
back my opinions.
 Openness/Intellect
Combined
Intellect and Openness 20-item scale (Alpha = .85)

Intellect
10-item
scale (Alpha = .84)
+
keyed Am
quick to understand things.
Can
handle a lot of information.
Like
to solve complex problems.
Have
a rich vocabulary.
Think
quickly.
Formulate
ideas clearly.

–
keyed Have
difficulty understanding abstract ideas.
Avoid
philosophical discussions.
Avoid
difficult reading material.
Learn
things slowly.

Openness
10-item
scale (Alpha = .78)
+
keyed Enjoy
the beauty of nature.
Believe
in the importance of art.
Love
to reflect on things.
Get
deeply immersed in music.
See
beauty in things that others might not notice.
Need
a creative outlet.

–
keyed Do
not like poetry.
Seldom
get lost in thought.
Seldom
daydream.
Seldom
notice the emotional aspects of paintings and pictures.

Note.
The scales are described in the following article: DeYoung, C. G.,
Quilty, L. C., & Peterson, J. B. (2007). Between facet
and
domains: 10 aspects of the Big Five. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 93, 880-896.

aThis
item is a reverse-wording of IPIP item H721 "Impose my will on others."
It was not administered to the ESCS.
bThis
item is a reverse-wording of IPIP item H774 "Put people under
pressure." It was not administered to the ESCS.
cThis
item was newly written for the BFAS rather than taken from the IPIP. It
was not administered to the ESCS.
dThis
item is a reverse-wording of an item from the BFI (John, et al, 2008) rather than the IPIP. It
was not administered t
the ESCS.

John,
O. P., Naumann, L. P., & Soto, C. J. (2008). Paradigm shift to
the integrative Big-Five trait taxonomy: History,
measurement, and
conceptual issues. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin
(Eds.), Handbook of
personality: Theory
and research (pp. 114-158). New York,
NY: Guilford Press.

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