Topical Guide 216
Mark Dorset
Traits, of Character, of Personality
“Mr. Summers,” I said, “some of these are notes about things that are already in the manual. Here. Here’s one about the Tars Traits. I already typed the traits.”
“Good for you,” said Mr. Summers. “They’re in here, then?” he asked. He began flipping through the manual.
“Aye, sir,” I said. “The four Tars Traits, page three.”
“Good, good,” he said, turning to page three and scanning the list of traits.
“Where will I put this one?”
“What does that one say?”
“‘A Tar does what he’s told,’” I read.
“Just add it at the end,” said Mr. Summers.
“But it seems kind of important,” I said. “I mean, it seems more important than ‘A Tar never wears a dirty uniform,’ and that’s the First Trait now. Maybe we should make that the Fifth Trait.”
“You might be right. But it’s all typed, and it doesn’t really matter. Just add it at the end. Take the easy way out. … A Tar rolls with the swells,” he said.
“Aye, sir,” I said. I pulled out my notebook and jotted it down, with a note to make it Trait One and renumber the other ones.Little Follies, “The Young Tars”
Someone at MIT has compiled a list of “638 Primary Personality Traits,” ranging from “accessible” to “zany.” They’re divided into three sections—Positive Traits, Neutral Traits, and Negative Traits—arranged alphabetically within each section. Here are the first ten entries in each section:
Positive Traits
Accessible
Active
Adaptable
Admirable
Adventurous
Agreeable
Alert
Allocentric
Amiable
AnticipativeNeutral Traits
Absentminded
Aggressive
Ambitious
Amusing
Artful
Ascetic
Authoritarian
Big-thinking
Boyish
BreezyNegative Traits
Abrasive
Abrupt
Agonizing
Aimless
Airy
Aloof
Amoral
Angry
Anxious
ApatheticAuthor Unknown, 638 Primary Personality Traits
See also: Traits, Generational Persistence of TG 37; Traits, of Character, of Personality TG 37
[more to come on Wednesday, March 16, 2022]
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