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They characterize the differences in humankind and can be used to predict or explain job performance. Jackie Robinson was a man who I would describe as having a strong and persevering personality. He grew up at a time when racial tensions were at their worst, and yet, managed to succeed and follow through with everything he faced. At times he was forced to “suck it up,” although many times it meant being humiliated in front of thousands of people. However, everyone that Jackie Robinson encountered was impressed by his genuine personality. In most situations, neuroticism is thought to be a negative trait. Jackie Robinson scored very low on this trait (total=23), meaning that he was calm, easy-going, and able to resist temptations. These facets are constantly demonstrated throughout Robinson’s autobiography. Robinson was the first African American to play in the Major Leagues for baseball. He was considered the “experiment” of major league baseball. Although Robinson played for a team in the North, there was much resentment from the players of the Dodgers, many of whom were from the South. When he first started traveling with the team, not only was Robinson and his family separated from the team physically, they also had to face many derogatory comments from Robinson’s fellow teammates. However, Robinson kept his composure and sucked it up. As Robinson said, “I don’t believe there was a man in that game, including me, who though I could take that. I had to force back my anger…. with guts enough not to fight back” (78). Robinson demonstrated the opposite of impulsiveness in almost all of his actions. Over time, he “had learned how to exercise self-control – to answer insults, violence, and injustice with silence – and had learned how to earn the respect of (his) teammates” (81). Jackie Robinson’s score for extraversion was a 78, meaning that although he was extraverted, at times he demonstrated some introverted traits. Although he was a friendly individual, Robinson, in many situations, was forced to keep to himself. In addition, he liked to take it easy whenever possible, gearing up for whatever was to come his way. He also, however, had some extraverted traits, including the fact that from the time he started school, he was always active, whether it be in sports, or working with the First African American Bank or the NAACP. He was a true leader with the First African American Bank and the NAACP, speaking in front of many people, and being aggressive enough to accomplish what was needed. Robinson constantly demonstrated attempts to be gregarious and to be recognized by others. Although he remembers “standing alone at first base – the only black man on the field,” he fought hard to become “just another guy”. Jackie Robinson never quit because things went the wrong way. If anything, hardships forced him to work harder at succeeding. When he went on into the business world, he “always strove to learn as much as (he) could so (he) would not be just a figurehead” (287). Robinson believed in the utmost integrity, and was a fighter. Jackie Robinson embraced every opportunity with open arms and full dedication. His score of 80 on openness to experience can be explained by his focus on the tasks, to which he was engaged, his acknowledgement of feelings, his willingness to try new and different activities, and his tendency to challenge current traditions. He believed that African Americans could become an important presence in baseball, and he tried his hardest to see it through. In addition, he realized the importance of a bank catered to less fortunate minorities, so he helped to anchor the First African American Bank in Harlem. Robinson was honored to be the “token” in baseball. “He was proud to be in the hurricane eye of a significant breakthrough and to be used to prove that a sport can’t be called national if blacks are barred from it” (9). He did not let anything hold him back and broke social barriers to make advancement for African Americans. In addition, Robinson was very aware of his feelings, even if he didn’t always openly express them. He also appreciated the gestures of others to acknowledge his presence. At one game in Canada, against a team that had previously been cruel to Robinson, the fans expressed their dislike toward the opposing team by booing. Robinson “didn’t approve of this kind of retaliation, but (he) felt a jubilant sense of gratitude for the way the Canadians expressed their feelings” (64). Robinson was very receptive to the feelings of other people. Not only did he constantly reexamine social and political values, he allowed the country to do the same. Agreeableness is a trait that can be positive or negative in different situations. Jackie Robinson’s total score for this trait was 90, which means that although he is usually agreeable, at times he might demonstrate some facets of low agreeableness. Robinson, at times, liked to “get even.” When he was playing in the minor leagues for the Dodgers, he was under constant torment. Robinson demonstrated some lack of compliance and aggressiveness when a member of another team threw a black cat onto the field during a game and yelled, “Hey, Jackie, there’s your cousin.” Robinson proceeded to hit a double down the left field line, and later on scored. On his way back to his dugout, Robinson yelled, “I guess my cousin is pretty happy now” (62). However, if looked at from another angle, it can be said that Robinson turned his anger into something positive…a run. Quite honestly, Robinson was just being straightforward about how he felt, another facet of agreeableness. Jackie Robinson realized that he had to try extra hard to succeed in life and in his career. However, his main goal was to be treated like a ballplayer, and not picked out or treated special because of his race. Robinson proved his belief in trust in other people when he realized that he had finally gained the respect of people in the sport of baseball, including the umpires. When he was thrown out of the game for misconduct, Robinson explained, “He didn’t pick on me because I was black. He was treating me exactly as he would any ballplayer who got on his nerves” (88). Robinson was constantly thinking about others; he was very tender-minded. During his years playing baseball, Robinson was known for worrying about other people’s injuries, such as Pee Wee Reese’s sore foot or Gil Hodges’ batting slump. Many times, Robinson thought about the needs of others before his own, sometimes forcing him to think aggressively. For this reason, Robinson did not totally support Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas. He wasn’t able to accept non-violent responses to violence provoking attacks. As he put it, “My immediate instinct under the threat of physical attack to me or those I love is instant defense and total retaliation” (223). Although Robinson mostly demonstrated agreeable traits, he was at times forced to act otherwise. Conscientiousness is a very positive trait for someone to possess. Jackie Robinson scored relatively high on this trait, a total of 105. Throughout his life, Robinson demonstrated competence, dutifulness, achievement striving actions and self-discipline. At an early age, Robinson realized his moral obligations to his mother. He recognized the burdens that his mother faced as a single parent, and he “began to want to relieve her in any small way (he) could. (He) was happy whenever (he) had money to give her” (18). Robinson always realized his duties as part of a team and tried endlessly to fulfill his role, even if it meant suffering. In addition, Robinson was determined to succeed, and be the best at whatever he did. Most people who spent time with Robinson realized this determination, especially his wife. Once, at a confrontation with a manager, she yelled: “I’ve seen him play with sore legs, a sore back, sore arms, even without other members of the team knowing it. Doing it not for praise, but because he was thinking about the team….Jack’s heart and soul is with the baseball Robinson was always the first one up in the morning, and worked the hardest at every practice, demonstrating his extraordinary self-discipline. Jackie Robinson’s conscientiousness did not end with baseball. Once he retired from the sport, he became very active with the NAACP. He held many fundraisers, gave many speeches, and inspired people throughout the country. As he once said, “If my name was going to be involved, then I wanted to be involved as much as possible” (138). Robinson always set goals to achieve, and never stopped until they were accomplished. When he planned to have a charity dinner with a certain amount of people, he did not settle for less. Once, when the arrangements for the venue of an event went sour, Robinson moved the event to his house – nothing was going to ruin his plans. Robinson was well aware of his competence and success. When he reflected upon his life, he stated, “I had fulfilled my boyhood dream of providing my wife with a decent home, a nest egg in the bank, and a garden for her to work in and watch green and glorious colored things grow” (276). Robinson always was a fighter, and his personal struggle reached many. He gave people courage from every walk of life to go on with their struggles. From the time he was a little boy, Jackie Robinson was a likeable individual who tried to better himself and society. He demonstrated traits of extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness, but not neuroticism. Robinson’s array of traits allowed him to succeed in life and pave a path for future members of the African American race. As he once boldly put it, “The game had done so much for me, and I had done so much for it” (134). Bibliography: Robinson, Jackie. 1972. I Never Had It Made. New York: G.P Putnam’s Sons. Word Count: 1696
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