Final answer:
The five factors of personality, or the Big Five, include openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism, with heredity playing a significant role in shaping these traits, as supported by research from McCrae and Costa.
Step-by-step explanation:
The five factors of personality, often referred to as the Big Five, include openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. This model suggests a substantial role for heredity in shaping individual differences in these traits. Research, including studies by McCrae and Costa, has shown that there is a genetic component to these personality factors, with genetic inheritance influencing these traits to a significant degree. However, personalities also develop through interactions with the environment, so while heredity provides a baseline, experiences can modify how these traits manifest over a person's lifespan.