Whether we’re studying psychology or working in another field, we often think about how our personality influences our lives. We say things like “I love staying home on a Friday night, I’m such an introvert!”. But have you ever thought about how your personality could influence what you experience if you’re trying to improve your self-awareness? Are some people more likely to benefit from training in mindfulness or coaching interventions at work?
From previous work, we understand that people can experience a range of outcomes from these practices, such as a greater understanding of themselves, becoming more accepting of others or more proactive at work. But there are also costs involved in learning more about ourselves, such as feeling more vulnerable or even worried about what will happen next. As part of my honours project, I wanted to find out how personality traits could influence these outcomes.
I found that yes, personality traits do seem to determine what kind of self-awareness outcomes we experience. Being more open to new experiences, more conscientious, extraverted, and agreeable makes us more likely to experience the beneficial outcomes and less likely to experience the negative emotional costs of self-awareness. Unfortunately, people who are less emotionally stable are more likely to experience the negative emotional costs of self-awareness and less likely to benefit from self-awareness practices.
Although providing only initial results, this study begins to outline the influence that our personality traits have on our self-awareness outcomes. While developing self-awareness has many benefits, it’s important for practitioners working in this area to be aware that some people will need additional support to avoid suffering from the negative effects.
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