Personal Projects
The "doings" in your life — the pursuits that make you individually you beyond trait labels.
Brian Little's idiogenic layer: you may share extroversion or neuroticism with others, but your personal project (getting a diagnosis for your kid after three hospital visits, advocating for your mom) explains behavior better than OCEAN scores alone.
Invisible Projects
You may have a core project nobody in the room knows about — acting out of character because the project demands it. That's when free traits appear.
vs Trait Labels
Little is uncomfortable putting people in pigeonholes — "I don't even think pigeons belong in pigeonholes." Personality science spans neurons to narratives; traits are one layer. Personal projects are what you should ask about:
What are your core projects in your life?
Connections
- free-traits — scripts enacted to advance projects
- three-natures-of-personality — personal projects live in the idiogenic nature
- match-quality — career fit is partly which projects a role serves
- interview-non-negotiables — non-negotiables echo core project needs in career context