Incremental relations between self-understanding and social functioning beyond personality traits in young adults

• Personality models differentiate personality traits from self-understanding. • Tested if self-understanding adds to social functioning beyond personality traits. • Coherence in self-understanding has an incremental link to social functioning. • Self-understanding does not moderate links between personality traits and social functioning. Personality traits are well-established predictors of social functioning, but contemporary models of personality distinguish between personality traits and self-understanding, including reflecting on one’s mental states and the degree of coherence in the self-concept. This study examined whether self-understanding serves as a unique predictor of social functioning beyond personality traits. Additionally, it was explored whether self-understanding moderated the association between traits and social functioning. Participants (n = 859) completed measures on reflective functioning, self-concept clarity, personality traits, and social functioning. Self-Concept Clarity, Extraversion and Agreeableness, had significant, incremental effects on social functioning. Interaction effects were not significant. Results suggests that the ability to root experience in a coherent self-understanding provides valuable information about individual differences in social functioning.