An Investigation of Taiwanese College Students’ Personality Traits and Self-worth

Abstract

This study investigated a model of the associations between personality traits of male and female college students in Taiwan and their self-worth using structural equation modeling (SEM). College students (1,305 males and 1,494 females) were stratified randomly selected from 12 universities to complete the College Students Questionnaire. SEM results supported the model and network of paths amongst these participating students’ self-worth and the Big-five personality traits. Results indicated significant positive predictive pathways between self-worth and extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, and agreeableness and a significant negative predictive pathway between self-worth and neuroticism. The results of restricting measurement weights indicated that the Big-five traits and self-worth model was adequate for all college students of different ages. In addition, it was found that males had significantly higher academic/general competence and athletic competence/physical appearance scores than females, while females had significantly higher close friendship, conduct behavior, and extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and neuroticism traits than males. Older college students had significantly higher academic/general competence, close friendship, conduct behavior, job competence, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness mean scores than their younger counterparts, whereas they had significantly lower neuroticism scores than the younger participants. Finally, the results suggest that self-worth was important in the development of positive personality traits in college students.