The traits of personality measured by the Five-Factor Model or “Big Five” are extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. It is important to remember that each trait occurs across a spectrum: extraversion, for instance, occurs at one end of a spectrum with introversion at its opposite end; and most people will fall somewhere within the spectrum for each trait.
Claire Standish, a fictional character from the film, The Breakfast Club, might fall into each category of the Five-Factor Model as follows:
Extraversion
People who score high on this trait draw energy from social situations, have many friends and acquaintances, and enjoy being the center of attention. They also often tend to say whatever is on their minds before thinking it through.
Claire might score towards the high end of this spectrum. Although deemed one of the most popular girls at school (by her own admission, no less), she seems to be known by more people than she knows. Her peer group seems limited to only a select few. She also exhibits a tendency to speak before thinking. For instance, near the end of the movie, she tells the other students that if she saw them in the hall, she would not acknowledge them.
Openness
People who score high on this trait spectrum are imaginative, creative, and tend to have a broad range of interests. Those who score on the low end tend to be more conservative.
Claire’s interests seem rooted in traditional, even stereotypical, things: status symbols. She wears diamond earrings, designer clothes, and has to attend detention because she skipped school to go shopping. She would probably score near the lower end of this spectrum.
Conscientiousness
Those on the high end of this spectrum are detail-oriented, goal-directed, and like having a set schedule. They also tend to exhibit good impulse control.
Claire’s character seems to fall somewhere on the lower end of this spectrum. She does not consider the effect her opinions might have on others and the fact that she is in detention for skipping school indicates a certain degree of impulsivity.
Agreeableness
People with high levels of this trait tend to be altruistic, affectionate, and cooperative. Those on the lower end of the spectrum are often quite competitive, manipulative, are not empathetic, and often insult or belittle others.
Claire, outwardly cold and condescending, appears to score quite low on this spectrum, although her behaviors might spring from the pressure she feels to fit in with her popular peers. She does exhibit manipulative tendencies by tricking Brian into writing an essay for the group, however.
Neuroticism
People who fall on the upper end of this spectrum tend to worry about many things, have mood swings, are often anxious, irritable, and easily upset. Those on the lower end of the spectrum tend to deal with stressors proactively and experience overall mood stability.
Claire seems to fall on the upper end of this spectrum. She feels a great deal of pressure to maintain her social status at school. At one point, she states she is dissatisfied with her role as a “bitch,” but fills her role to maintain her social status.
Claire’s home life also contributes to her high degree of neuroticism: her parents, divorced, often place her in the middle of their struggles. This affects her feelings of self-worth and leads to approval-seeking and other potentially destructive behaviors.
In conclusion, Claire, fairly extroverted and neurotic, but falling on the lower ends of the other three trait spectrums, appears to be a quite troubled, unlikable individual. Of all the characters in the movie, she seems the least responsible and exhibits a lower character growth arc.
https://pages.uoregon.edu/sanjay/bigfive.html
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
How can the character of Claire from Breakfast Club be explained by applying the Big Five (personality) theory?
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