Personality traits of british actors

• Author: C. Salceanu/R. L. Radacovici
• Position: Ovidius University of Constansa/Ovidius University of Constansa
• Pages: 23-30

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşo v

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 11 (60) No. 2 - 2018

PERSONALITY TRAITS OF BRITISH ACTORS

C. SĂLCEANU1 R. L. RADACOVICI2

Abstract: We live in a society where the entertainment industry has gained

a major significance. Actors are an important part of the society, especially

because of the characters they impersonate, which tend to become role-

models for young men and women around the world. The purpose of the

study is to investigate some personality traits of twenty-two British actors.

They were investigated with two questionnaires, which measure

extraversion, neuroticism, rigidity and emotional empathy maturity.

Comparisons based on gender have been made. The results indicate that

actresses are more emotionally mature and more neurotic than actors,

whereas male actors are more extravert than actresses. We obtained no

significant difference for rigidity. The results are discussed with reference to

the demands and rewards of acting.

Key words: actors, personality traits, extraversion, emotional maturity,

neuroticism.

1. Introduction

Actors receive a great deal of interest nowadays. Performing arts are a field towards

which more and more youth turns to. Actors are an increasingly large social group that

exceed a great deal of “power” over the audiences. Many teenagers look out for actors

as their role-models. The online journa l The Telegraph published in 2009 an article

suggesting that one in four adolescents are influenced by celebrities more than by the

people they know.

Actors been studied over the years by many psycho logists (Nettle, 2006; Kogan, 2002;

Phillips, 1991; Drake, 2009; Nowakowska, Strong, Santosa, Wang & Ketter, 2005;

Chyatte, 1949; Caprara, Babaranelli, Consiglio, Picconi & Zimbardo, 2003; Catron, 2017;

Vulova, 1996). Whether the subjects of the research were professional actors or

students interested in the acting career, terms like “emotional adjustment”,

“neuroticism”, “communication”, “agreeableness” or “extraversion” were common to all

authors.

The term “maturity” usually means the stage where the growth is completed.

Nevertheless, maturity is an expression also used in psychology and it designates that

phase of personality development which corresponds to biological and psychological

1 Ovidius University of Constanța, claudiasalceanu@yahoo.com

2 Ovidius University of Constanța, radacovici_laura@yahoo.com.