Personality traits and identity statuses as predictors of personality functioning in mid and late adolescence

Abstract

This study had four objectives: (a) examining the sex-related differences in the level of personality functioning (LOPF), (b) exploring the association between personality traits (PT) and LOPF, (c) exploring the association between identity statuses (IS) and LOPF, (d) exploring whether PT and IS can predict LOPF. A sample of 1450 students aged 15–21 years from high schools and universities from all the governorates of Lebanon participated in this online study. The Arabic version of three measures were used: (a) Revised Personality Inventory: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, EXtraversion, Agreeableness (versus Anger), Conscientiousness, Openness to Experience (HEXACO) – PI – R, (b) Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS), (c) Level of Personality Functioning Screener- Brief Form 2.0 (LOPF-BF-2.0) were rated for the sample. Results showed no statistical differences in LOPF between males and females; IS and LOPF were correlated similarly in both males and females except for Achievement (Ach), which did not correlate significantly with LOPF in males, but correlated negatively and significantly among females. Conversely, Moratorium (M), Foreclosure (F) and Diffusion (D) correlated positively with LOPF in both males and females. All Identity statuses could predict LOPF, except for F; likewise, all personality dimensions Humility (H), Extraversion (X), Agreeableness (A), and Conscientiousness (C) could predict LOPF except for Openness to experience (O). Implications of the results are discussed.