Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

The Relationship Between Personality Traits and Self-Control

Publication Date

Fall 2022

College

Sciences and Mathematics, College of

Department

Psychological Science, Department of

SURS Faculty Advisor

Dr. Adam Smiley

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Abstract

Oops I did it again: a classic phrase that perfectly describes the struggle with self-control. This idea of being able to control one’s own actions is prominent throughout our day-to-day lives. From varying work environments, to relationships, individuals make decisions each day that require some level of self-control (Hofmann et al., 2012; Zhang et al., 2019). Past studies have found that personality traits have a great impact on one’s level of self-control, suggesting that those who are competitive have higher levels of self-control (Hoyle et al., 2016). Also, that mood is a contributing factor to an individuals’ implementation of self-control, stating that mood influences both inhibitory and initiatory self-control processes in a negative way (Heiland and Veilleux, 2022). Present research consisted of approximately 60 Belmont undergraduate students recruited from Belmont University’s Introductory Psychology courses. Participants were asked to complete a series of surveys which assessed their personality (The Big Five Personality Inventory), mood (Profile of Mood States Questionnaire) and level of self-control (Brief Self- Control Scale). The Big Five Personality Inventory was used to assess a participant’s level of extraversion, agreeableness, openness, consciousness, and neuroticism. The Profile of Mood States Questionnaire evaluated mood disturbance by displaying 65 mood states which participants rated based on their current mood. The Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) consisted of 13-items which assessed a participant’s level of self-control. Data collected was used to examine whether the Big Five Personality traits and mood disturbance predict levels of self-control. We found that there was a significant relationship between specific personality traits and self-control with mood as a mediator. The implications of this study are promising for helping to further understand the effect of personality on self-control and the role mood plays.

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