By Sigurd Arild, Eva Gregersen, and Ryan Smith
This series of articles analyzes the characters from ‘Star Wars’ (original trilogy only) on the basis of the Big Five system of personality which is the most widely used personality test in social science and which has sometimes been referred to as “the only truly scientific personality test.” Compared to Jungian typology, the Big Five is more empirical and ‘external,’ positing a straightforward relationship between personality and observed behavior, which makes it easier to achieve consensus.
Below Average Openness
“Leave them to me. I will deal with them myself.” While open individuals tend to be ideational and live in a world of abstractions and mental constructs, formed at the expense of what is actually real, individuals who are lower in Openness are more likely to deal in real-world tangibles and to look directly at the bottom line without recourse to explanations and excuses. Though Vader enjoyed considerable political and military influence within the Empire, his actions evinced a consistent preference for dealing with problems directly and in ways that demanded his own physical presence. From joining the boarding party assailing the Tantive IV and personally piloting a Tie Fighter in Hope, to leading the ground assault on the rebel base in Empire, Vader repeatedly chose to act as more of a front-line commander than an armchair general. Likewise, whereas open individuals tend to revel in political tolerance and diversity, low-Openness individuals are more likely to prefer the smack of firm government and to be supportive of strong leaders who are capable of bringing order to their dominions. In Vader’s case, he did not appear to reminisce much about the days of the Old Republic, the way Obi-Wan did, and when he offered Luke to join him at the end of their duel in Empire, it was only too clear that he did not envisage this proposition as involving a return to democracy (“Join me, and together we can rule the galaxy as father and son.”).
Above Average Conscientiousness
“That is the system. And I’m sure Skywalker is with them. Set your course for the Hoth system!” Conscientious individuals tend to prefer order and to have things settled around them. They often experience a craving for closure, meaning that they seek to regulate and control their environment, whereas individuals who are lower in Conscientiousness tend to be more likely to just “go with the flow.” Darth Vader was certainly partial to order, as seen in the way he approached the challenges and conundrums that crossed his path: He readily knew what he wanted and repeatedly issued his orders on the spot, as if instantaneously aware of how a problem could be brought to a satisfactory conclusion, at least in his own mind (“No, Captain, they’re alive. I want every ship available to sweep the asteroid field until they are found.”). Time and again, Vader’s orders had the smack of clarity and firmness, and he was decidedly not like the more muddled, low-Conscientiousness Han Solo in this regard (“Keep your distance, Chewie, but don’t *look* like you’re trying to keep your distance.”). However, upon closer inspection, while Vader gave the impression of being a clear-headed commander, his orders often lacked the attention to detail and zest for nitty-gritty follow-through that one would expect of a high-Conscientiousness individual. For example, in Empire, Vader orders the fleet to “set [its] course for the Hoth system,” but does not bother to leave more detailed instructions concerning the battle group’s plan of attack. Likewise, on Cloud City, Vader prosaically tells his men to “deactivate the hyperdrive” of the Millennium Falcon, while overlooking the more thorough possibilities of irreparably damaging it or even removing it outright. In the absence of more precise and careful orders, subordinates must invariably exercise judgment to the best of their ability, which turns out to be much to Vader’s dismay when the results do not measure up to the outcomes he had envisioned. Hence, while Vader clearly possessed the mental disposition for closure, directiveness, and control that is the hallmark of a high-Conscientiousness personality (thus adding to his overall Conscientiousness score), he also thought more in terms of the general outline of a problem than he paid attention to its details, and his plans often lacked more detailed follow-through (thus subtracting from his score).
Average Extroversion
While Extroverted individuals tend to be outgoing, socially assertive, and to have a high activity level, introverted individuals are often more reserved and tend to need more time alone before rising to their tasks. Extroverted individuals are also likely to be more exuberant, experiencing more enthusiasm and more uplifting moods, whereas introverted individuals tend to be more low-key and disengaged in their social activities. Vader’s behavior evinced many extroverted traits (such as assertiveness and self-confidence), and he clearly had a high activity level, as demonstrated by his ardent involvement in a broad range of affairs (anything from boarding, to interrogation, to piloting, to navigating, and so on). On the other hand, Vader’s scores on those facets of Extroversion that pertain to positive emotion (such as gregariousness and uplifting moods) were decidedly low, and so Vader’s overall level of Extroversion could have been no more than average at best. The reasons for Vader’s composite Extroversion scores are most likely health-related: While a person’s Big Five personality scores tend to be remarkably stable once they’ve reached adulthood, substantial changes can still occur in case of severe accidents or trauma. In Vader’s case, he suffered a professional accident which left him in chronic pain and unable to breathe without the aid of a respirator. Hence his current condition (of being “more machine now than man”) is most likely responsible for the absence of exuberance in Vader’s character, as well as for an overall increase in his Neuroticism score. It would therefore be prudent to assume that Vader’s Extroversion had been higher prior to the time of his accident.
Below Average Agreeableness
“Asteroids do not concern me, Admiral. I want that ship, not excuses.” Agreeable individuals tend to be trusting, seek cooperation, and see the good in others. They tend to be friendly and helpful, and naturally concerned with the well-being of others. By contrast, disagreeable individuals tend to be more tough-minded, critical of others, and unwilling to compromise. In Vader’s case, it would perhaps be tempting to conclude that his Agreeableness was very low, since he commanded through fear and intimidation (rather than teamwork or inspiration) and was apparently not concerned with the welfare of others (neither that of the enemy, nor that of bystanders, nor that of his own men). However, a lot of Vader’s lashing out can be traced back to his high levels of anger and immoderation, which are facets of Neuroticism, not Agreeableness. To put matters plainly, a person can have an Agreeable outlook, but still fall prey to impulsiveness, anger, and hatred whenever a setback occurs. While Vader’s Agreeableness was by no means abundant, nor was it consistently low either. In fact, both Tarkin and Palpatine might be seen as examples of personalities lower in Agreeableness than Vader: In Hope, it is Tarkin, not Vader, who comes up with the idea of obliterating Alderaan along with its millions of peaceful inhabitants in an act of genocide, and in Empire, it is Vader, not Palpatine, who suggests that Luke Skywalker could be turned to the Dark Side instead of destroyed. Lastly, Vader’s redemption at the end of the trilogy would most likely not have occurred if his Agreeableness had truly been low: As Luke Skywalker says, he “feel[s] the conflict within”; “the good in [him],” that in the end re-kindles his compassion for others and prompts him to turn away from Palpatine’s sadism. In the end, Vader’s self-sacrifice must be seen as an altruistic act of kindness, contradicting all that he supposedly stood for. Unlike Palpatine, who was truly a low-Agreeableness individual through-and-through, Vader was not seduced by the Dark Side on account of low Agreeableness, but on account of high Neuroticism.
High Neuroticism
“Commander, tear this ship apart until you find those plans!” While individuals low in Neuroticism tend to remain emotionally calm and collected, even in the midst of setbacks and stress, high-Neuroticism individuals are typically characterized by high levels of emotional reactivity relative to the general population. When faced with stressful and frustrating situations, individuals who are high in Neuroticism are more likely to lash out at others or to give in to anger and become enraged when things do not go their way. In Vader’s case, we have already touched upon his tendency to experience many negative emotions and few (if any) positive ones. His scores on such Neuroticism facets as impatience, moodiness, irritability, and hostility were high across the board. Similarly, Vader’s personality shows signs of immoderation (being unable to hold back his rage when his subordinates disappoint him) and even hints at dejection or sadness, suggesting a somewhat depressive background mood (“It is too late for me, son.”). Now with all of these observations in place, we might ask why Vader had such high Neuroticism. In general, while some people are simply born with a disposition for Neuroticism (most commonly because of genetic heritability), it is also possible to acquire a neurotic disposition through extraordinarily traumatic life events, like the loss of limbs or family members, isolation from peers, and so on. Hence, with Vader we can surely say that his Neuroticism was not merely a part of his nature, but that it had been formed by his nurture as well. Having lived through a grave physical injury that left him permanently disabled as well as the loss of his offspring and spouse, Vader (justifiably) sees grievance and loss in every setback and has learned to counteract his feelings of personal vulnerability by lashing out at others and attempting to control them through fear.
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The idea of intermixing Star Wars and the Big Five was first conceived by the website Outofservice.com, to which this series of articles pays homage.