Investigating the Relationship among Personality Traits, Decision-making Styles, and Attitude to Life (Zahedan Branch of Islamic Azad University as Case Study in Iran)

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship among personality traits, decision-making styles, and attitude to life of students in the Zahedan (Sistan & Baluchestan) Branch of Islamic Azad University. The present study is a descriptivecorrelational research. The statistical population includes students of Zahedan Branch of Islamic Azad University in 2013-14. The population consists of 516 members. A sample of 220 students was selected through stratified sampling method. In order to collect the research data, three standardized questionnaires were used. These include Big-five personality traits questionnaire, decision-making styles questionnaire, and attitude to life questionnaire. The research data were analyzed through descriptive statistics (Means, Standard Deviation, etc.), and inferential statistics (Regression model and Pearson correlation coefficient test). Our findings revealed that there is a significant negative relationship between neuroticism and avoidant decision-making style (p≤0.001); there are significant relationships among openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, rational decision-making style, and intuitive decision-making style (p≤0.001). Also the results of regression model showed that personality traits are the main reliable predictors of decision-making style. In this regard, the findings indicated that agreeableness, openness, and neuroticism have explained 5.1%, 4.1%, and 2.1% of variations of dependent variable (decision-making styles) respectively. All in all, these factors have explained 11.3 of variations of dependent variable (decision-making styles). Also our findings showed that there is a significant negative relationship between attitude to life and Neuroticism (r: 0.224; p≤0.001), Extraversion (r: 0.50; p≤0.001), Agreeableness (r: 0.333; p≤0.001), Openness (r: 0.403; p≤0.001), and Conscientiousness (r: 0.275; p≤0.001). Recognition and explanation of the effect of personality traits on the decision-making styles and attitude to life is very important. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s6p311