BASIC PERSONALITY TRAITS AS PREDICTORS OF PERFORMANCE TRAUMA SYMPTOMS IN SERBIAN RESIDENTS

The research aimed to determine the predictive power of basic personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, aggressiveness, positive and negative valence) in predicting the occurrence of traumatic symptoms (symptoms of anxiety, depression, dissociation, traumatic experience, sexual problems and sleep difficulties) in people in Serbia. The sample consisted of respondents from Serbia, a total of 136 of them (30 male and 106 female respondents) with an average age of AS=31.64, SD=8.09. The following instruments were used in the research: The Big Five Plus Two,a shorter version (VP+2 - 70) and the Trauma Symptoms Checklist TSC-40. Individuals with high levels of neuroticism, who are introverted, and those who lean toward narcissistic tendencies will show symptoms of anxiety, depression, and sexual difficulties. High neuroticism and narcissistic tendencies may lead to the appearance of traumatic symptoms. The same, traumatised people have been found to have anxiety and low self-esteem, which was not the case with non-traumatised people. Traumatised people also scored higher on the neuroticism scale, and they were more introverted and less emotionally stable than non-traumatised individuals. Also, high neuroticism, introversion, rigidity in attitudes and narcissistic tendencies can lead to the appearance of somatic symptoms. The results obtained lead us to conclude that the respondents are prone to negative affect, rigidity in attitudes and behaviour, narcissistic tendencies, and that as such they have not developed adequate strategies for dealing with the demands of a complex environment, so that they will perceive all new situations as threatening.