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N euroticism and Attitudes Toward Action in 19 Countries
Author(s) -
Ireland Molly E.,
Hepler Justin,
Li Hong,
Albarracín Dolores
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/jopy.12099
Subject(s) - neuroticism , psychology , collectivism , anxiety , individualism , individualistic culture , social psychology , action (physics) , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , personality , psychiatry , physics , quantum mechanics , political science , law
Although individuals scoring high on N euroticism tend to avoid taking action when faced with challenges, N euroticism is also characterized by impulsivity. To explore cognitive biases related to this costly behavior pattern, we tested whether individuals who rated themselves as higher in N euroticism would evaluate the general concepts of action and inaction as, respectively, more negative and positive. We further investigated whether anxiety and depression would mediate and individualism‐collectivism would moderate these relations in a large international sample. Participants ( N = 3,827 college students; 69% female) from 19 countries completed surveys measuring N euroticism, attitudes toward action and inaction, depression, anxiety, and individualism‐collectivism. Hierarchical linear models tested the above predictions. N euroticism negatively correlated with attitudes toward action and positively correlated with attitudes toward inaction. Furthermore, anxiety was primarily responsible for emotionally unstable individuals’ less positive attitudes toward action, and individuals who endorsed more collectivistic than individualistic beliefs showed a stronger negative association between N euroticism and attitudes toward action. Researchers and practitioners interested in understanding and remediating the negative consequences of N euroticism should pay greater attention to attitudes toward action and inaction, particularly focusing on their links with anxiety and individualism‐collectivism.