Personality Traits and Professional Responsibility – Preliminary Model

Purpose: Purpose of this paper is analysis of connections between personality traits and effective functioning on different levels of professional responsibility. The main aim of this study was building a model which could explain in what way personality moderates coping with responsibility stress. Methodology: Two research questions were stated: What personality traits distinguish managers from other groups with personal responsibility of decision (with higher and lower level of responsibility); and: What stable personality and emotional control traits can predict effective professional functioning on different required levels of personal responsibility decision? Three groups of people (N=110), with different level of responsibility were exam: managers – characterised by middle level of personal responsibility, Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) – very high level of personal responsibility and representatives of different occupations with low level. Two questionnaires were used: to measure personality traits (Neo-Pi-R, Costa&McCrae) and emotional control (ECQ Brzezinski). Findings: Comparing of analysed groups shows many significant differences in four of the five big dimensions and specific traits. So, it is possibly to say, that probably only special types of persons can be effective as manager, like as ATC. Also, two path models were estimated. Initial model was poorly fitting the data, but the second one is characterized by very good fit indices. It shows, that some personality traits effect responsibility level directly, and in the highest way - Values. Excitability in general has negative influence on responsibility level. Value/oryginality: The main originality of this paper is comparing managers with ATC group as a specific kind of responsibility. This approach make possible to state conclusions about real role of special personality traits to be effective in coping with stress responsibility.