The Five-Factor Model for Leisure Management: Pedagogies for Assessing Personality Differences in Positive Youth Development Programs

The field of leisure management and positive youth development (PYD) programs has expanded with new research highlighting the practical issues of working with a diverse population of clients seeking recreational experiences. One factor contributing to the diverse population in leisure services is the variety of personality differences among individual participants. Research in personality differences examines variations from five main factors, known as the “Big Five” as outlined by McCrae and Costa (1991). The five-factor model focuses on extroversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, openness to experience, and conscientiousness. Each of the five factors is further explained through their sub-categories of traits. This is a conceptual paper which advocates for a pedagogy utilizing the five-factor personality model in leisure services for PYD programs. This paper has three main objectives: first, to provide a brief overview of leisure and PYD literature; second, to address the role of the five-factor model of personality in leisure and PYD programs; and third, to provide propositions regarding practical applications