Brief Summary
This video features Jordan Peterson discussing his personality traits according to the Big Five model and offering advice to someone facing significant life challenges, including potential infertility and a cancer diagnosis. He emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between depression and having a difficult life, and suggests strategies for coping with overwhelming circumstances.
- Peterson describes his high levels of enthusiasm, assertiveness, intellect, and industriousness, along with moderate orderliness and compassion.
- He advises focusing on the present moment, seeking medical and emotional support, and allowing time to adjust to major life changes.
Jordan Peterson's Big Five Personality Traits
Jordan Peterson discusses his personality traits based on the Big Five model, acknowledging the difficulty of self-assessment due to his familiarity with the tests. He scores high in enthusiasm (75th-80th percentile) and assertiveness (99th percentile), indicating high extraversion. Regarding neuroticism, he notes that his history of chronic depression affects his negative emotion scores. He is compassionate (75th-80th percentile) but relatively low in politeness (30th-40th percentile), making him blunt. For conscientiousness, he is moderately orderly (70th-75th percentile) and highly industrious (99th percentile). Finally, he scores very high in openness, with intellect at the 99th percentile and general openness around the 95th percentile or higher.
Coping with Tragedy: Infertility, Cancer, and Depression
Peterson responds to an individual who shares news of being diagnosed with cancer and the potential inability to have children. He distinguishes between depression and having a terrible life, advising the person to evaluate the various dimensions of their life, such as relationships, work, and health. If these areas are problematic, it indicates a need to address those issues rather than assuming depression. However, he acknowledges that antidepressants might provide enough of a lift to keep fighting.
Strategies for Managing Overwhelming Circumstances
Referencing Chapter 12 of his book "12 Rules for Life," Peterson shares how his family coped with his daughter's serious illness. He advises shrinking the time horizon and focusing on making each day, or even each hour, as meaningful as possible. He suggests seeking professional help and considering antidepressants for nervous system stabilization and pain management, mentioning specific medications like Cymbalta and the potential use of amphetamines as adjuncts to pain medication in extreme cases.
Adjusting to Major Life Transformations
Peterson addresses the news about the potential inability to have children, emphasizing the need for a plan to address the situation and allowing ample time (about a year to a year and a half) to reconceptualize one's life and future. He stresses the importance of not being too hard on oneself during this adjustment period, as major life transformations require significant time to process and adapt to.
