Hiring and Neuroticism

Call someone “neurotic” and it will surely be taken as an insult or slight.  But the truth is that everyone has some degree of neuroticism in their personality.  It is not an insult, any more than saying that being introverted or casual or reticent is an insult.  That’s because Neuroticism is the fifth of the personality traits in the OCEAN Model or Big Five Personality Model.  (Over the last month, we already looked at the other four areas: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, and Agreeableness.)  Naturally, we left neuroticism for last.  It just sounds so negative.

So what is neuroticism?  Neuroticism reflects how a person deals with negative emotions including fear, sadness, anxiety, guilt and shame.  These are emotions everyone experiences, but how much they affect us and how we deal with them varies from person to person.  This reflects their degree of neuroticism on the spectrum.  On one end are those people who have a high degree of neuroticism.  Those are people who experience negative emotions more intensely and/or more often.  On the other end of the spectrum are those who have a very low degree of neuroticism and are not affected by negative emotions as much.

Neuroticism and the Personality Spectrum

While it does not sound good, someone with a high degree of neuroticism is just someone who experiences negative emotions more intensely.  While we all experience various negative emotions from time to time – and it is normal to feel such emotions, especially when things are going wrong as has been the case for most people the world over due to Covid — some people feel these emotions more than others… more deeply, longer or frequently.  So a person with a higher neuroticism level has an overall tendency toward negative emotions.  They are also highly sensitive and attuned to what people think.  Though they might not always show it, they tend to feel anxious, irritated, moody, sad, or depressed more than the average Joe or Jane.  They might view minor problems as overwhelming and neutral situations as threatening.  They often feel self-doubt and might be considered emotionally volatile.  These individuals might have trouble controlling emotions at key moments.

At the other end of the scale, someone with a low degree of neuroticism is not deeply affected by negative emotions.  While they do feel fear, sadness, anxiety, guilt and shame – everyone does – these emotions don’t last long or impact them as profoundly.  These people are more likely to brush off things that irritate or sadden them and find ways to redirect their thoughts rather than dwell on problems.  They don’t “waste time” worrying and might be considered stoic.   They are more likely to take steps to remedy problems, deal with issues in an unemotional way, and move on.  They take things in stride and assume the best, not worst, in questionable situations.  But they also don’t care much what anyone thinks of them.  People who have a low degree of neuroticism tend to be optimistic, confident and emotionally even-keeled.

The Neuroticism Spectrum

One might think that everyone should aim to have a low degree of neuroticism.  However, this is an area of personality that is influenced by a number of factors, many of which are beyond one’s control.  First, neuroticism is believed to be partly genetic.  Heredity plays a big part in neuroticism.  If parents are high on the scale of neuroticism, chances are their kids will also have a more neurotic personality.  (But it is hard to know if that is entirely inherited or partly learned.)

A person’s degree of neuroticism is also impacted by environment.  For example, stressful life events such as the death of loved ones, broken relationships, loss of a job, or a major illness can affect a person’s level of neuroticism.  So someone who was once very calm and stoic might exhibit a higher degree of neuroticism for a period of time after a traumatic event.  Think of a soldier experiencing PTSD after a deployment.

Also, a person’s neuroticism is impacted by those who influence the person’s life, such as friends, teachers, colleagues and family members.  The more positive people there are in a person’s environment, the fewer worries and anxiety they will experience.  The more negative people in their environment, the more they’ll feel negative emotions.   Neuroticism spreads.

Understanding Neuroticism

Given how profoundly neuroticism affects how we feel, it is important to understand this major area of personality.  There are a number of sub-traits that impact where a person falls on the Neuroticism spectrum.

• Anxiety – Anxiety has to do with worry.  It is a feeling of fear and uneasiness caused in response to stress. People with a higher degree of neuroticism on the scale feel more anxious than those with lower neuroticism scores.  The question to ask:  How frequently do I feel worried?
• Anger – Some people are more prone to getting upset easily. They are more likely to get apprehensive or uneasy in stressful situations and thus lash out. People with a low score keep calm in stressful situations.  Questions to ask:  How easily do I get frustrated?  Do I feel angry or moody often? Do I get irritated for no reason?
• Depression – A little over 1/3 of all the people in the world – 36.7% — suffer from depression.  That’s about 1 out of every 3 people.  Look around you and count.  Based on this statistic, depression is likely something that affects employees of every business, even small ones.  This is a common mental health issue that causes feelings of unshakable sadness and a loss of interest in life.  Questions to ask:  Do I feel depressed?  How often?  Am I able to shake the feeling if I put my mind to it?
• Self-consciousness – Self-consciousness is a factor that determines sensitivity to how people look at oneself. It also affects how often and how much people feel awkward or ashamed.  People who are self-conscious feel shy around people.  The question to ask:  Do I feel embarrassed around people?  Am I sensitive to how I think others see me, or how others actually see me?
• Immoderation – Immoderation is the inability to exercise restraint.  People who experience this cannot control impulses or react more intensely than normal to difficult situations.  Questions to ask:  Am I impulsive?  Can I control my emotions and actions in tough situations?
• Vulnerability – Stressful situations happen to everyone.  While some have stressful situations happen more often than others, the issue is not with how often these situations occur but how those situations are handled.  People with low scores on neuroticism tend to handle stress effectively while those with high scores are impacted more frequently and with greater intensity.  They feel overwhelmed by life’s stresses.  The question to ask:  Can I handle your stress well?  Am I able to deal with stress effectively?

Neuroticism in the Workplace

Everyone has some aspects of neuroticism in their personality.  It is a matter of degrees.  How much is the key.  Those who have a high degree of neuroticism will not do well in high stress jobs or jobs that are prone to a lot of irritating or upsetting situations.  But it is incorrect to think that having a high degree of neuroticism is bad or that a low degree of it is good.  That’s not actually the case.  There are many positive aspects of having a higher neuroticism score.

High scorers on the neuroticism spectrum are driven to always improve themselves because they are worried about not doing well and they care what others think of them. This pushes them to a higher level of achievement.  Fear of failure serves as a source of motivation for them.  Conversely, people with a low neuroticism don’t care much about risk, danger or what others think.  They lead a carefree and relaxed life, but that doesn’t always result in happiness or success.   So it just depends on how the person’s degree of neuroticism fits with their occupation.

For example, people who have a low degree of neuroticism are better able to handle jobs that are high pressure, conflictive and emotional, such as police officers, Emergency Room physicians, 911 Operators, Customer Service representatives, air traffic controllers, event coordinator, firefighter, middle school teachers, Wall Street stock traders and social workers.  While the stresses, problems and emotionally-charged situations that occur in those jobs would likely negatively affect people with a high degree of neuroticism, those who are low in neuroticism can go with the flow and roll with the punches.

On the other hand, people who have a high degree of neuroticism might do better in jobs where there is less stress, fewer points of friction with people, less intense deadlines, and a calmer working environment.  For example, jobs that are considered low stress include writers, librarians, medical lab technicians, pharmacists, jewelers, medical records technicians, hair stylists, audiologists, university professors, compliance officers, stenographers, and sonographers.  That’s not to say that there is no stress at all in such positions, but it is far less than most other jobs.

When looking to fill an opening, it helps to consider what the job is like and what kind of personality would be a good fit for the job.  If the position is highly stressful, prone to crisis and conflicts or has a high degree of change, it is important to hire individuals whose personality is low in neuroticism… someone carefree, easy-going and laid back.  If the job is not very stressful but requires someone who is highly sensitive to others’ feelings and has a deep attention to detail, then someone who is high in neuroticism will be a better fit because they will care more.

Ultimately, each job opening should be filled by someone who not only has the skills and experience to be able to get the work done, but by someone whose personality strengths will allow that person to function comfortably and cater to their personality strengths.  That’s not just good for the employee, it is good for the business.  When an employee and a job are a good fit, turnover is likely to be low and employee satisfaction will be high.  That’s a win-win for the worker and the workplace.  Happy hiring.

Quote of the Week

Neuroticism is, in many ways, simply a way to show and experience emotion more than average. Micah Abraham, B Sc.

© 2021, Keren Peters-Atkinson. All rights reserved.