Some background to explain my question: I recently overheard a conversation, between two men working in the same firm. One of them (A) is thinking about finding a new job, as he is not happy where he is. The other (B) says "A, you have very valuable skills in this, nobody else knows as much as you do about this! You will have no problem at all finding a better job!"
I can see and hear that A is very hesitant to find a new job, he looks uncertain and not convinced that he will indeed find a better job. A says he feels a need for external validation. A does not seem to have low self-esteem, so the need for external validation seems to be unrelated to self-esteem.
In the Big 5, which personality trait(s) would explain such a need for external validation? Neuroticism and agreeableness might be able to answer the question, but that depends on the following:
- Would a high-neuroticism low-agreeableness person crave for external validation?
- Is high agreeableness alone enough to make someone crave for external validation?
- Is high neuroticism alone enough to make someone crave for external validation?