McCrae and Costa’s Five Factor Theory

Using McCrae and Costa’s five factor theory, describe Subira’s personality by answering the following questions.

1. What does McCrae and Costa mean by neuroticism? Would Subira score high or low on this dimension? Find examples in the case to support your answer.
2. What does McCrae and Costa mean by openness to experience? Would Subira score high or low on this dimension? Find examples in the case to support your answer.
3. How could McCrae and Costa explain some of the inconsistencies in Subira’s behavior (e.g., that she is often late to meet friends but not for auditions)?

Subira Case

Subira is a 20-year-old African-American living in New York City. As a struggling actor, she supports herself as a waitress at a trendy restaurant and bar in Manhattan. It is not a job that she wants to have forever; she desperately wants to break into Broadway but she earns good money in tips—a necessity in expensive New York—and she sees waitressing as an opportunity to polish her craft: When she waitresses she tries out a different role each evening. In this way she is able to practice acting while still earning money in this mundane type of job until she gets a break. The roles she plays as a waitress are very gregarious, flamboyant, and loud. Her friends find this very interesting because they describe her as shy. This contradiction is also apparent in her auditions. During auditions she is very outgoing; she is able to project energy and emotion—even heart- wrenching emotion—convincingly, but when she interacts with her friends and her boyfriend, she is much more reserved.

Although the money Subira earns as a waitress is enough to keep her housed, clothed, and fed, she wishes, as most people do, that she had more. She is slowly saving money for plastic surgery. Generally, she is self-conscious about her appearance. Even though she is only a size 6, she is concerned that she is too fat. She thinks her nose is too big and her breasts are too small. In fact, although most people think that she is beautiful, she wishes she could change the way she looks completely. She wishes she could look less African-American. Every dollar she saves to have her nose fixed and her breasts enlarged is a dollar closer to looking the way she thinks an actress should look. Subira feels especially vulnerable about her appearance during auditions when she sees that the majority of those auditioning are thinner than she is and are also White. This anxiety about her appearance has caused her boyfriend, Gordon, some concern. Gordon, who is also  African-American,  especially  resents  Subira’s  implication  that  Caucasian women are more attractive than African-American women. Like others, Gordon also thinks that Subira is beautiful. He especially likes the way she dresses. You can tell by looking at her that she is artistic, imaginative, and unconventional. She dresses in a bohemian way, sometimes incorporating African-American style, as well as other cultures, into her wardrobe. Her interest in other cultures is also apparent in that she loves to try different types of food. One of her favorites is Ethiopian food. Other activities that Subira loves include spending time in Greenwich Village, wandering through the streets and observing the people there. These observations give her more ideas to choose from when she is developing the characters she plays. In fact, she generally tries as many new experiences as possible to help in the development of her craft and her characters.

She would love to travel to see new sites and cultures firsthand but cannot afford it. This diligence in developing her acting skills is also noted in Subira taking numerous acting classes, seminars,  and  workshops.  She  is  dogged  in  going  for auditions and has already landed a couple of smaller roles in not very well-known productions. She is determined to “make it” on Broadway, but her career pursuits sometimes  interfere  with  her  friendships  and romantic  relationships. Because she is so busy going to her acting classes and auditions and working at

her waitressing job, she often runs late when she has to meet her friends or boy- friend. Occasionally she has not shown up for a lunch date because auditions ran long. In fact, Subira is not very punctual and occasionally forgets to show up for work, for example, when she says she will cover for someone else who cannot work that day. Friends and coworkers always forgive her though. She always comes through in a real crisis and is a loyal and caring, if somewhat tardy, friend. She is always sympathetic when friends come to her with problems or if they are short on cash. Subira helps out if she can. Her friends also like her because she is not difficult to please. When they make a suggestion about where to go out or what to do she readily agrees, unlike other actors they know,who often try to pressure them into going to certain clubs to “be seen.”

 

Word Count: 300-400

No. of Pages: 4