The Relation Between Personality, Time Perspective and Positive Orientation in Chile, Hong Kong, and Poland

Aneta Przepiorka,Mónica Pino Muñoz,Nicolson Yat-Fan Siu,Małgorzata Szcześniak,Celina Timoszyk-Tomczak,Jacqueline Jiaying Le

doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00113-x

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to examine the relationships between personality characteristics, time perspective (TP), and positive orientation (PO) across three countries representing different cultures: Chile, Hong Kong, and Poland. The participants were university students; they completed the Zimbardo time perspective inventory, the ten-item personality inventory, and the positive orientation scale. We investigated whether PO could be predicted by personality traits and TP. The study revealed that TP dimensions predicted PO even after controlling for personality traits. This effect was found in all three countries. Additionally, the study revealed the role of balanced time perspective as a moderator between personality traits and PO.

Highlights

Positive psychology puts strong emphasis on identifying the predispositions that contribute to happiness and enable people to function optimally in different life domains, such as work, school, or stress coping (e.g., Luthans et al 2007)
The present study has shed some light on the relationship of positive orientation (PO) with time perspective (TP) and personality traits
We examined more profoundly the cross-cultural differences in personality and their relationships with TP in three countries: Chile, Hong Kong, and Poland

Summary

Introduction

Positive psychology puts strong emphasis on identifying the predispositions that contribute to happiness and enable people to function optimally in different life domains, such as work, school, or stress coping (e.g., Luthans et al 2007). PO is a construct related to self-esteem, life satisfaction, and dispositional optimism (Caprara et al 2010). It refers to global positive evaluations of oneself, life, and the future. These positive evaluations help individuals thrive and savor every moment of life despite encountering obstacles or experiencing difficult life conditions, despite the awareness of the unavoidable process of aging and inevitable death. Alessandri et al (2012a) found that PO was related to intrapersonal and interpersonal areas of functioning and to psychological resilience. PO has proved to be stable across cultures and unidimensional (Alessandri et al 2012b; Caprara et al 2010; Heikamp et al 2014)

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Discussion

Conclusion