Summary: Personality traits like conscientiousness and extraversion are linked to higher self-control, while neuroticism can weaken this effect, especially in specific types of self-control like resisting temptation or initiating proactive behaviors.
A study involving 480 military cadets reveals that neuroticism moderates the relationship between other personality traits and self-control, suggesting that the interaction effects differ based on the type of self-control. These findings could inform strategies for selecting individuals for roles requiring high self-control and designing interventions for personal growth.
Key Facts
- Neuroticism weakens the positive effect of extraversion and conscientiousness on self-control.
- Different personality traits are linked to different types of self-control, such as inhibitory and initiatory.
- The study highlights the importance of understanding how personality traits interact to influence self-control.
Source: PLOS
Neuroticism may moderate the relationship between certain personality traits and self-control, and the interaction effects appear to differ by the type of self-control, according to a study published August 21, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Fredrik Nilsen from the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Defence University, Norway, and colleagues.
Self-control is important for mental and physical health, and certain personality traits are linked to the trait. Previous studies suggest that conscientiousness and extraversion enhance self-control, whereas neuroticism hampers it.
However, the link between personality and self-control has mostly been studied using a narrow conceptualization of self-control, and no previous studies examined whether and how personality traits interact with one another to increase, or reduce, self-control.
To fill this knowledge gap, Nilsen and colleagues collected data from 480 military cadets to examine the relationship between the Big Five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and self-control dimensions (general, inhibitory, and initiatory self-control).
Inhibitory self-control reflects the ability to resist temptation, whereas initiatory self-control is the ability to initiate proactive actions to achieve long-term goals. The authors also investigated how neuroticism might moderate the relationship between other personality traits and self-control.
Participants scoring highly for neuroticism tended to score lower for general and inhibitory self-control, after controlling for the effect of other variables – a negative correlation.
A positive correlation was seen for extraversion and conscientiousness, with participants scoring highly on these traits being more likely to also score highly on self-control dimensions. Openness and agreeableness traits did not consistently link with self-control after controlling for other variables.
The researchers found that neuroticism negatively moderated the relationship between extraversion and both general and inhibitory self-control, and the relationship between conscientiousness and both general and initiatory self-control, such that extroverted or conscientious participants scored less highly than otherwise expected for these types of self-control if they were also highly neurotic.
According to the authors, one take-home message from the study is that it is important to differentiate between the types of self-control when studying their relationship with personality traits – in particular, we should distinguish between inhibitory self-control and initiatory self-control.
The study may have practical implications, since self-control can be a valuable resource for good health, success, and proper conduct. For example, knowledge about strengths and weaknesses of personality profiles and their accompanying self-control qualities might help select individuals for professions that require high self-control.
In clinical and personal growth settings, the development and training of self-control may benefit from an increased understanding of the relationship between personality profiles and self-control patterns.
The authors add: “Our research reveals a more complicated relationship between personality traits and self-control than is previously found. First, there are two different types of self-control – the ability to inhibit impulses, and the ability to initiate proactive actions – and personality traits are differently related to these two ways of exhibiting self-control.
“Second, the level of neuroticism can significantly alter the relationship between personality traits like conscientiousness and extraversion, and self-control.
“Understanding the nuanced interplay between personality and self-control can help to find more effective ways to select individuals for roles that demand high levels of self-control, and to design interventions for developing self-control.”
About this personality and psychology research news
Author: Charlotte Bhaskar
Source: PLOS
Contact: Charlotte Bhaskar – PLOS
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Personality traits and self-control: The moderating role of neuroticism” by Fredrik Nilsen et al. PLOS ONE
Abstract
Personality traits and self-control: The moderating role of neuroticism
Self-control is important for mental and physical health, and personality traits are vital antecedents for self-control.
Previous studies suggest that conscientiousness and extraversion enhance self-control, whereas neuroticism hampers it. However, the link between personality and self-control has mostly been studied using a narrow conceptualization of self-control, as the ability to resist impulses, thus excluding initiatory self-control.
Also, no studies have examined whether and how personality traits interact with one another to increase, or reduce, self-control.
Data were collected on two occasions from 480 military cadets (31.04% female) to examine the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and self-control (general, inhibitory, and initiatory self-control). Furthermore, the study investigated the moderating role of neuroticism, as a trait and as individual facets, on the relationship between the other personality traits and self-control.
Although neuroticism correlated negatively with all self-control dimensions, there were unique relations only with general and inhibitory self-control.
Extraversion correlated positively with all self-control dimensions but was only uniquely related to initiatory self-control.
Conscientiousness correlated positively with all self-control dimensions and this pattern persisted when we assessed the unique effects.
Openness to experience and agreeableness correlated positively with general and inhibitory self-control but had no unique effects on any of the self-control dimensions.
Neuroticism negatively moderated the relationship between extraversion and both general and inhibitory self-control, and the relationship between conscientiousness and both general and initiatory self-control.
The facet-level analysis confirmed the general patterns and provided further detail on which facets of neuroticism were the most influential as moderators.
In conclusion, the study highlights the critical role of different types of self-control, and that neuroticism plays a cardinal role for the effects of conscientiousness and extraversion on self-control.
