University of Twente Student Theses
Optimism in crises - Examining the impact of Extraversion and Neuroticism on Optimism in times of Covid-19
Sowinski, Jana (2022) Optimism in crises - Examining the impact of Extraversion and Neuroticism on Optimism in times of Covid-19.
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| Abstract: | Research about the stability of optimism and its relation to human personality yielded inconclusive research outcomes. The enduring Covid-19 crisis and the constantly changing restrictions raise questions about the stability of optimism in times of hardship as well as the effects of extraversion and neuroticism in this context. The present study investigated the stability of optimism before and during the corona pandemic. Further, it examined the relationship between optimism, its changes, and the personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism. The study is based on a longitudinal design and used data from 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021 from the Dutch LISS panel (n=3439). Results indicated that overall optimism remained stable. Further, positive correlations between optimism and extraversion were found in all years except for 2017. Significant negative correlations were found between optimism and neuroticism in all years. Regarding the prediction of optimism, results suggested that before the pandemic, only neuroticism predicted peoples' level of optimism, while during the pandemic, both, extraversion and neuroticism served as a predictor. Similar results were found for the analyses of changes in optimism, indicating that before the pandemic, only neuroticism was related to peoples' changes in optimism, whereas, during the pandemic, extraversion and neuroticism were found to be statistically related to these changes. Overall, the findings of this study contributed to the existing research body by providing first insights into the stability of optimism and the impact of personality during the enduring Covid-19 pandemic. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology MSc (66604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/92004 |
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