Personality, coping, and objective outcomes: Extraversion, Neuroticism, coping styles, and academic performance

The framework for the present research is that the relationship between coping and objective outcomes can be understood through a consideration of the coping patterns of different personalities. It is thought that personality gives rise to particular types of coping. It should also be possible to observe departures from the general personality-coping-outcome trend in that some people with potentially distracting (personality-based) coping tendencies can modify these tendencies in order to perform well. Undergraduate subjects reported their coping strategies, with respect to academic Stressors. They filled out the Eysenck Personality Inventory, to assess their levels of Extraversion and Neuroticism. Ssʹ exam scores in Introductory Psychology were used as the performance criterion. Analyses suggest that Introverts cope in ways that are amenable to better academic performance. In contrast to predictions, better performing Extravertsʹ coping did not appear to be similar to Introvertsʹ coping. Discussion centers around the ideas that (1) objective coping outcomes can be understood by including personality in the relationship; and (2) it may be important to think of coping in terms of personality, rather than in terms of the Stressor.