Resilient Personalities: Exploring the Psychological Resilience of Young Adults Through the HEXACO Model of Personality

This study explores the intricate relationship between personality traits and psychological resilience in young adults aged 18-25. Personality traits are conceptualized and assessed using the HEXACO model of personality, which includes six factors: Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience. Resilience is assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Employing a cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design, the study compared personality profiles of individuals with low and high resilience to examine how personality factors interact with an individual's capacity to adapt and cope with adversity. The results indicate that Extraversion and Conscientiousness are the strongest positive predictors of resilience, while Emotionality is negatively associated with resilience. Openness to Experience and Agreeableness showed weaker but significant positive correlations, whereas Honesty-Humility did not significantly predict resilience or account for additional variance beyond the traits traditionally associated with the Big Five model. Furthermore, young adults in this study exhibited lower resilience levels than the general population, with a majority falling within the lowest quartile of CD-RISC scores. These findings highlight the substantial role personality traits play in resilience. While personality traits are deeply engrained, they can be changed with intentional effort; this may be a focus of personal development or psychotherapy. Additionally, the notably low resilience levels observed in the young adult sample suggests a need for further research into generational differences and the environmental factors contributing to these patterns.