PsychologyJuly 13, 2026

conscientiousness

/ˌkɒnʃiˈenʃəsnəs/

Definition

A personality trait characterized by being organized, dependable, and disciplined, and one of the five major dimensions used in the Big Five personality model.

Etymology

The word stems from the Latin 'conscientia' (knowledge within oneself) and 'conscire' (to be conscious or aware), evolving into Middle English before adopting its current suffix for state or quality in the 17th century.

In the news

In this study, researchers used the Big Five personality trait of conscientiousness to see if a state's general personality profile correlated with its autism prevalence rates.

Wealth and air pollution emerge as top predictors of state autism rates

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PsyPost

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