Jesus and Personality Theory: Exploring the Five-Factor Model

by James R. Beck

In recent years researchers in human personality have come to a rarely achieved near unanimous conclusion: human personality is structured around a very few major traits, probably five in number. These factors, sometimes called the Big Five and represented by the acronym OCEAN, are:
Openness to experience
Conscientiousness
Extroversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
How does this Five-Factor Model fit with a Christian understanding of human nature? How does it compare or contrast with the way Jesus lived, taught and counseled? James Beck looks at prominent themes in the teaching and ministry of Jesus and how they relate to the five personality factors. Here is a study of the Christian implications of the new model--a study that will offer fresh insights for students, pastors and therapists alike.

Genres: Counselling, Psychology, Self Help, Faith

276 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1998

About the author

James R, Beck is Senior Professor of Counseling at Denver Seminary in Englewood, Colorado. Trained as a clergyman and psychologist, he is now able in retirement to pursue his avocation of local history. He lives now with his wife on a farm in rural Union Township, Clay County, Kansas. He is curator at the Wakefield Museum in Wakefield, Kansas.
--from back cover, Toward a More Perfect Union