Comparisons of Personality Dispositions and Genetic Inferences in Groups of Performing Artists

There are a number of innate and external factors that contribute to the success of performing artists. Search for these factors has resulted in attempts to profile performing artists based on genetic markers and personality types. The aim of this investigation was to examine select personality traits of performing artists and compare responses to previous research. Personality traits of student and professional musical theatre performers were measured with the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS; N = 30) and the Cloninger Tridimensional Personality QuestionnaireTM (TPQTM; N = 28) and compared to a previously published study of dancers (N = 85) using one-sample t-tests. The TAS score of the current study (M = 22.90±6.47) was not significantly different to that of the dancers (M = 21.05; p = .128). However, the TPQ demonstrated significantly higher and lower differences, respectively, in musical theatre performers compared to dancers on the subscales of Harm Avoidance (HA) and Reward Dependence (RD), but not Novelty Seeking (NS). Findings suggest both similarities and significant differences between student and professional performers, with potential genetic associations. Pedagogical considerations and future research recommendations are discussed.