The Association between Conscientiousness and Neuroticism on both the State and Trait Level: An Experience Sampling Study

Introduction. Previous studies have primarily been focused on the associations found on the trait- and between-person level of personality aspects, and often disregard personality states. Research on the association between two distinct personality states on the within-person level is limited. Objective. The current study looked at the association between conscientiousness and neuroticism on the between- and within-person level. Method. Over a period of two weeks, university students (N = 26) were assessed on state conscientiousness and state neuroticism multiple times a day employing the Experience Sampling Methodology. Furthermore, one-time trait measurements were recorded using the NEO-FFI-3. Between- and within-person associations were explored using correlation analysis and linear mixed modelling. Results. Findings indicate a moderate negative association between trait conscientiousness and trait neuroticism (r = -.389, n = 26, p < .05). No significant association was found between trait conscientiousness and average state neuroticism at the between person level (r = -.098, n = 26, p = .633). The linear mixed model revealed a significant strong positive association between state conscientiousness and state neuroticism at the within-person level (β = .537, SE = .028, p <.001). Conclusion. Findings in the current study are largely in line with previous studies.