RMFinalPaperwAppendicesCD

Running Head: Personality and Communication
Personality and Communication
Colleen Danaher
Eastern Illinois University
CMN2020
April 18, 2016

PersonalityandCommunication 2
Abstract
The success or failure of communication in interpersonal relationships more times than not
correlates with the parties of the personalities involved. In order to better understand how
personality directly affects communication with others, the researcher realized she had a huge
task on her hands. The rationale of this research was to make more people aware of their own
communication patterns and reflect on how personality slips in there and affects what is being
communicated. In order to accomplish such objectives, the researcher designed a survey that
aimed to measure the affect that participant’s personalities had on their everyday communication
with others. The results of this survey proved that there were many significant relations between
participant’s personalities and their actions in communication. While there is still a lot to be
understood about the relationship between personality and communication, the results of this
project revealed that there certainly is a strong link which was an important implication to this
area of study.

Personality and Communication
Meeting new people is a huge part of life as it happens quite frequently for most
individuals. Some of these people we are able to befriend easily and others not so much. There
are many factors that affect how we go about forming interpersonal relationships. Extraverts, for
instance, are known for being better than introverts at establishing rapport with other people
(Duffy, & Chartrand, 2014). It is therefore generally easier for people who have extraverted
personalities to develop friendships. Such differences are essential to understand in order to have
the most effective communication with others. The author realized that this topic ultimately
combines the unpredictable nature of communication with the many dimensions of personality.
However, she believed that these two components go hand in hand with one another and need to
be analyzed together. People should keep in mind that their personality can often influence how
and what they communicate.
Personality and behavior influenced by personality play into both verbal and nonverbal
communication. In order to avoid awkward patterns in communication overall, it is vital that
people comprehend their behaviors influenced by personality. It was to the researcher’s belief
that those with an extraverted personality have less of a problem with approaching people with
opposing personalities than their own. In addition, she hypothesized that introverted individuals
struggle to approach and communicate with people who have different personalities than their
own. The second part of the research question attempted to answer the question of how do
individuals handle personality differences in interpersonal relationships. The researcher believed
that individuals who communicate with people who have different personalities than their own
results in problems in interactions. Whereas, individuals who communicate with people who
have the same personality as them experience harmonious relations with one another.

Introverts and Communication
When compared to extraverts, introverts are known for being the shy and quiet
individuals who would rather keep to themselves than converse with a large group of people.
Their personality traits arguably affects the language they choose to utilize when conversing with
others. Previous research has indicated the fact that introverted individuals may use more
concrete and descriptive linguistic styles when compared to extraverts. The overall impression
that a speaker leaves can be affected by differences in language abstraction as it can affect what
information is retained by the listener (Beukeboom, Tanis, & Vermeulen, 2012). Such a
significant proposed difference in communication patterns between introverts and extraverts
can’t possibly be ignored.
Along with this major suggested difference in language selection between introverts and
extraverts, introverts reportedly speak differently as well. Introverts speak slower with quieter,
lower, and more monotonous voices than extraverts (Lee, Peng, Jin, & Yan, 2006). Not only do
introverts reportedly make accounts of this world and their experiences based off of concrete
facts, but their personality quite possibly affects how they sound as well. What we have here is a
hugely overlooked gap in the literature about exact differences in communication patterns. While
the researcher realized that it is basically impossible to say that all introverts for sure do this and
all extraverts for sure do this, she believed it was vital to have as accurate of an idea as possible.
Introverts are known for possessing less social dominance in comparison to extraverts. In the
next section of this literature review, the researcher further discusses extraverts’ advantage in
power and provides more details about their patterns of communication in interpersonal
relationships.

Extraverts and Communication
It is no secret that extraverts tend to be more outgoing and generally more engaged in
conversation which in turn results in their upper-hand in power in communication. As was
touched upon in the opening of this review, extraverts are known to be especially powerful
communicators when compared to introverts because of their rapport building capabilities. As
Duffy and Chatrand (2014) discuss, the mystery of what extraverts do behaviorally to better
connect with other individuals needed to be further explored. Different models of sociability
offer opposing predictions about the behavioral social skillfulness of extraverts. For instance, the
sociability-as- core model makes the prediction that regardless of the presence or absence of an
affiliation goal- extraverts will mimic more than introverts. On the other hand, the reward-
sensitivity-as-core model says that if there isn’t an affiliation goal involved- than extraverts and
introverts will mimic the same. Both predictions revolve around the principles of mimicry and
affiliation goals because both are vital aspects that go into strong rapport building. Either way,
extraverts are viewed as possessing more dominance over introverts because of their rapport
building skills. This dominance extraverts are known for possessing is as an interpersonal trait
that tends to be a desirable trait regardless of a person’s personality (Ahmetoglu, & Swami,
2012). When it comes to seeking romantic partners, introverted and extraverted women viewed
dominant men as more attractive.
Extraverts are also known for speaking differently than introverts and through this tend to
be more powerful and expressive. According to Lee et al., (2006) extraverts speak more swiftly
with a less monotonous higher, louder voice than introverts. In addition, extraverts are known to

display more gestures and facial expressions and are more willing to approach someone than
introverts would be. Due to the fact that extraverts tend to enjoy social interactions more than
introverts, extraversion is commonly associated with using more words related to social
processes (Beukeboom et al., 2012). This very fact that extraverts expose themselves to more
social interactions why they are known for talking more abstractly than introverts. Extraverts
tend to display their concerns and feelings more than introverts in response to disaster (Ruf, &
Radosevich, 2008). This ties into the fact of how they tend to become more involved in social
interactions and want to be heard and seen more than introverts.
Extraverts tend to be “excitement seekers” and are known for not obsessing over smaller
details and because of this exert a more imprecise communication style than introverts
(Beukeboom et al., 2012). Extravert – extravert interpersonal relationships could therefore be
said to thrive off of a thrill factor resulting from a social “high” if you will. Both parties of an
extravert-extravert relationship are able to best comprehend one another’s use of abstract
language and the less uptight communication pattern that occurs as a result. Extravert- introvert
friendships are possible, however there are differences that the two parties have to overcome in
order to incorporate successful communication patterns into their relationships.
Introvert-Extravert Friendships & Communication
It isn’t unheard of that introverts and extraverts can actually work out their personality
and behavioral differences and develop/ maintain successful interpersonal relationships. With
that being said however, one person who scores high on the introvert scale is very unlikely to
easily get along with an individual who scores high on the extravert scale. According to reported
research by Nelson and Thorne (2012), individuals usually select friends whose extraversion-

introversion is perceived to be similar to their own. It is revealed that people who are in close
relationships and are noticeably different on the extraversion-introversion scale report more
conflict than people who are markedly similar. This ability for people to become close with
individuals whose personality is different than their own but not to the extreme makes a lot of
sense. It is important to note that during relationship selection, impressions about a person’s
traits are vital in order to help someone choose who to approach or who to avoid (Friesen, &
Kammrath, 2011). Traits in initial interactions speak measures about how a person will behave a
majority of the time when compared to others. Once interactions have moved past the selection
phase, the shift is made from making comparisons to building relationships. Introverts and
extraverts who slightly differ from one another personality trait wise are likely to be able to
move past the selection phase.
Close friends with different personalities are quite often not viewed as possibly being a
functioning unit and due to this aren’t observed in a proper manner. Nelson et al., (2011) discuss
two theories that offer an explanation as to why friendships involving two people with different
personalities isn’t always a bad thing. The first theory discussed in their research is Carson’s
interpersonal theory which says that opposites attract for traits related to control. In a
complementary fashion, this theory says that when one person exerts dominance (usually the
extravert) then this invites submission (typical of introverts) and vice versa. On the other hand,
this theory states that when it comes to affiliative traits similarities attract and therefore coldness
invites coldness and warmth invites warmth. This part of the theory more so addresses why
extraverts would be attracted to other extraverts because they would feed off of one other’s
energy. With regards to Carson’s theory and extravert-introvert friends, extraverts should be

attracted to introverts because introverts are likely to be submissive which in turn reinforces
extravert’s social dominance.
The other theory is referred to as Arron and Arron’s self- expansion theory, their theory
argues that people become close with people whose personality is different than their own in
order to enhance/ expand themselves. It is noted that this expansion may be based in action as
well and not only cognitive. This means that introverted friends might actually enjoy
accompanying their extraverted friends on social adventures and extroverts might come to enjoy
more quiet events when with their introverted friends. In other words, Arron and Arron’s theory
of self-expansion really focuses on introverts and extraverts using their differences to enrich their
own lives by introducing one another to each other’s thought processes and favorite past times. It
is as though two people with opposing personalities can come together and form one complete
well-rounded individual according to this theory. Both Carson’s interpersonal theory and Arron
and Arron’s self- expansion theory provide a substantial amount of insight as to how introverts
and extraverts can use their differences to benefit their friendships. While some literature would
make it seem as though introverts and extraverts can’t actually be friends, these two theories
exemplify hope.
Uncertainty Reduction and Personality
As has been discussed thus far, extraverts are more outgoing and friend-oriented and
therefore thrive in social settings and are more abstract with their thoughts. All of these
personality traits contribute to how they are more easily able to make friends regardless of
personality. Introverts are of course the complete opposites of extraverts and are usually more
than willing to be submissive to extravert’s social dominance. One important aspect of how

personality affects the development of interpersonal relationships that still needs to be discussed
is uncertainty reduction. When being introduced to an individual for the first time there is an
overwhelming amount of information that one can gather just by a person’s appearance.
However, a person’s appearance doesn’t tell his/ her entire story and it is only natural to ask
questions to reduce uncertainty.
A fascinating way to carefully observe how people reduce uncertainty about one another
is watching people react in a speed dating setting. According to Deyo, Walt, and Davis (2011),
aspects of uncertainty reduction occur as soon as the bell rings to begin a new round in speed
dating. People have a very limited time to learn all the essentials about the individual they are
talking to and then have to make a huge decision. Although we have been socialized to not make
quick judgments about others, speed dating challenges this. Supporters of speed dating make the
argument that using snap judgments of people helps them decide who they should date. From
this it could be inferred that verbal and non-verbal aspects of a person’s personality can be
quickly noticed and judged by others. As an individual’s personality is revealed, the other party’s
uncertainty naturally decreases. Going off of this, uncertainty reduction also occurs in
interpersonal relationships as commonalities are revealed (Yifeng, 2015). While these
commonalities don’t always have to be personality-oriented, people with the same personalities
are going to approach their commonalities more similarly.
Summary of Findings
As one can tell, personality and communication go hand-in-hand. While patterns in both
are next to impossible to predict, regardless it is extremely important to study the two as a unit.
Extroverts and introverts, while opposites, can still become close as long as they work through

their differences and grow from them. Research on how personality traits and behavior affect
communication has come a long way, however there is still ways to go until everything is fully
understood. For the time being researchers will continue to utilize creative measures to further
piece together just how much personality affects social interactions and therefore patterns of
communication. As Lee et al., (2006) figured out by conducting research using programmed
interactive personality robots, people actually enjoyed interacting with robots whose personality
was complementary to their own more so than interacting with a personality robot whose
personality was similar to theirs. In fact, their research found that people found their opposite
personality robot more intelligent and socially attractive. The question that still exists from this
research however, is whether or not the fact that people were communicating with robots instead
of humans would change the results of this study. Perhaps if participants were interacting with
another human who had the same personality as their own, they would be more attracted to them
because of their similarities. Interactions with these robots were very human-like despite the
robot clearly being a programmed bot and not a human. The research done by these researchers
is merely a small snapshot of all of the research that exists out there about this topic. It is
essential to understand that there are still gaps in a lot of the literature about this topic, however
slowly but surely these gaps are being filled in.
Method
In order to conduct research on how personality affects communication, a survey was
built that attempted to seek answers to the two main parts of the research question. According to
an explanation of a survey on psychology. about.com, "A survey can be used to investigate the
characteristics, behaviors, or opinions of a group of people" (Cherry, 2016). The initial
questions in the survey were designed in order to gain an understanding of the participant's

characteristics, which is what makes the participants the people who they are. The participant's
gender, age, and profession were asked so that the researcher could have a better idea of whose
views were reflected in the results. Next, the researcher used several Likert scale questions to
better gauge participant's personalities. This part of the survey was built around the hope of
learning more about each participant's individual behavior. It was essential to have some basic
comprehension of each participant's extroversion-introversion levels in order to properly analyze
the overall results. Lastly, the researcher used two very open ended questions at the end of the
survey to further give participants the opportunity to discuss how personality has played a role in
interpersonal relationships in their lives. This gave participants the choice to express their
opinions on how personality traits of themselves and others have affected their social interactions
and overall communication patterns. There are ultimately many ways that a survey can be used
to collect data and for the purpose of this research it was used in three very important ways. The
overall procedure used to answer the two parts of the research question, goes hand-in-hand with
explaining the methodology behind it all. Personality has multiple dimensions and therefore can't
be analyzed in a dull, uninteresting manner. That is why it was vital that the researcher created a
survey that wasn't just investigating one of the many ways that it could be used.
Participants
Clearly participants are a huge part of research and without them it would be impossible
to answer anything about what is being studied. There were 101 participants overall in this study
and each added something very unique to the overall results. The participants were recruited in a
sense by the means of postings on the researcher's Facebook page asking her friends for their

help. The researcher posted several statuses asking for help from her Facebook friends and in one
of them tagged her mother and sister in the post which introduced the survey to their friends as
well. In addition, the researcher enlisted more participants by asking one of her classmates to
share the link to her survey on their Facebook page. There was also a Facebook page created
exclusively for the researcher and her fellow classmates to post the links to their survey. This of
course exposed even more college students to the survey. While a good handful of participants
were college students, there were quite a few older participants as well. Furthermore, it is still
crucial to take note of the differences in representations among the participants. There were more
females than males that took this survey, but with that being said, males were of course still
represented- just not as evenly as the researcher had hoped. It is important to keep in mind
however that according to colleges.usnews.com, male students make up approximately 40% of
Eastern Illinois University’s overall student population, whereas females make up 60% of the
population. Also, in regards to professions, a majority of the participants were college students as
was already noted and therefore due to this other professions weren't equally represented.
Design
The main variable being measured in this research was participant's personality types. It
was important for the researcher to ask questions about each participant's personality in order to
understand the effect it has on communication. Certain personality traits are most definitely
associated with extraversion, whereas other traits clearly indicate introversion. Although the
researcher realized the fact that people can fall in the middle of the two, she was focused on
studying the extremes in personalities. Therefore, it was more or less a given for the purpose of
this research that ambiverts could get along with introverts and extroverts given the fact that their
personality type is a mixture of both personalities. The researcher highly valued analyzing how

personality influenced the responses to her questions. It was definitely not a one-shot deal in
making the connection between personality and communication. Yet, all of the variables worked
together and yielded results that most certainly connected the two.
Materials
Personality tests have been in existence for quite a bit of time and are easily accessible.
Although the researcher didn’t base her survey questions off of any one personality test in
particular, she chose to ask participants some rather common ones. It was important to the
researcher that she also included questions that correlated communication patterns and
personality. The stimuli being tested was participants’ tendencies to engage in social interactions
and maintain/ decline new interpersonal relationships based off of their personalities. Therefore,
it was crucial that the researcher included a few Likert scale questions which measured the
personalities of the participants based off of pre-existing personality tests. At the same time, it
was important that the researcher open-ended responses to personality-communication oriented
questions.
Procedure
A lot of the overall procedure was already explained under the methodology section of
this report. The researcher wanted it to be explained in the methodology section as well as in the
procedure section to further place emphasis on the overall importance of the survey. When the
participants took this survey they couldn’t get to the first question unless if they selected “Yes”
indicating that they agreed to the researcher’s informed consent. Basically, the informed consent
explained the researcher’s purpose behind her research and explained that people had free choice
about whether or not they decided to participate. As was explained above, after participants gave

their consent they were then asked three demographic questions. These questions helped the
author have a rough idea of who was participating in her survey. Next, the participants were
asked Likert scale questions using a five choice rating scale which included choices between
strongly disagree and strongly agree. Finally, the participants were asked two open-ended
questions that asked them to reflect on desirable traits that they look for in friends/ romantic
partners as well as how personality has directly affected their choice in communication partners.
Data Analysis
As the researcher truly learned from this experience, research requires a lot of time and a
true desire to learn more about the topic on-hand. From selecting to use a survey over all of the
other methods to analyzing the results at the end, the process can feel never ending. However, all
of the steps were definitely necessary and well worth it. In order to study the data collected from
her survey, the researcher analyzed her data in a few different ways. First off, the researcher
used descriptive statistics analysis which shows how the data appears visually and in numerical
terms. She used this analysis in the form of calculating frequencies based off of grouping her
data into different categories. In addition, the researcher used the chi square analysis to
determine a null hypothesis in order to most effectively measure the results of her survey.
Another analysis test that the researcher use was the correlation test. The correlation test
compares the different data intervals to see if there are any significant relationships among them.
The final analysis that the researcher used was the t-test. This test helped show the correlation
between the variables involved in the researcher’s research.

Results
The two main frequencies that the researcher felt were extremely important are the
statistical breakdowns between male and females and students versus other professions.
Approximately three-fourths of the survey participants were females (n= 73, 76%) and nearly
one-fourth of the survey participants were males (n=23, 24%). In addition it is important to note
that two-thirds of the participants were students (n= 64, 66%) where as one-third of the
participants had a profession other than student (n= 33, 34%). The t-Test results interestingly
enough revealed similar means between males and females preferences for face-to-face
communication and computer- mediated communication (Female M=1.95, SD 1.10; Male M=
1.96 SD 1.19). The chi square tests revealed that there was a statistical difference among
biological sex and enjoying alone time as well as going out and being social depending on
participant’s moods (C2 = 8.194, p =.042). Also the chi square tests revealed that there was a
statistical difference between male and female participants and whether or not their personalities
clash with other people who have similar personalities as their own (C2 = 10.543, p =.032).
When the researcher analyzed her data using correlation tests she found many significant results.
The data analysis revealed that there was a high positive correlation between people desiring a
small, close circle of friends and feeling as though people who have different personality traits
use different language to present the same ideas. (r=.360, p=.001). There was also a significant
positive correlation between participants considering themselves to be people persons and their
abilities to easily establish bonds with new people (r=.380, p<.001) In addition to this there was
a significant positive correlation between preferring FTF communication and believing that
people with opposing personalities often use different language to present the same ideas (r=.22,
p=.044). In terms of negative correlations the correlation tests revealed that there is a high

negative correlation between people who clash with others that have the same personalities as
their own and their comfort level of establishing bonds easily with new people. (r=-.264,
p<.015). There was also a significant negative correlation between people who identified as
being people persons and feeling nervous while in a large crowd (r=.-380, p<.001).
Discussion
There are essentially many things to be taken from the data analysis of this essay that
further contribute to advances in the study of personality and communication. It is important to
note that the data analysis of this survey revealed that people who feel as though they establish
bonds easily with other people are essentially less nervous in crowds. This could be analyzed to
mean that people persons don’t feel nervous in a large crowd because they feel as though they
could establish bonds with the people around them quickly and therefore don’t have to fear them.
These same people who felt as though they could easily establish bonds with new people showed
a strong preference for FTF communication because they like putting themselves out there and
physically interacting with the world around them. The same participants who reported
preferring face-to-face communication over computer-mediated communication preferred
physically interacting with people because they believed that a language/wording barrier quite
possibly exists between opposing personalities. It could be said that these participants believed
that this difference in wording that opposing personalities utilize can be made less complicated
when communicating in person versus behind a screen. Despite the unpredictable nature of
communication and the many dimensions of personality it is evident that there are still ways to
analyze the link between them.

Limitations/ Future Research
Limitations to this study include the fact that there were significantly more females than
males who took this survey and most of the participants were students. All in all, the researcher
believes that this particular field of study still has a ways to go until the strong link between
personality and communication is fully understood. She would like to thank all of her survey
participants and hopes that they understand their immense contributions to this particular area of
research.

References
Ahmetoglu, G., & Swami, V. (2012). Do women prefer "Nice Guys"? The effect of male
dominance behavior on women's ratings of sexual attractiveness. Social Behavior &
Personality: An International Journal, 40(4), 667-672.
Beukeboom, C. J., Tanis, M., & Vermeulen, I. E. (2012). The language of extraversion:
Extraverted people talk more abstractly, introverts are more concrete. Journal of
Language and Social Psychology, 32(2), 191-201, DOI: 10.1177/0261927X12460844
Deyo, J., Walt, P., & Davis, L., (2011). Rapidly recognizing relationships: Observing speed
dating in the South. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 12(1), 71-78.
Duffy, K. A., & Chartrand, T. L., (2014). The extravert advantage: How and when extraverts
build rapport with other people. Psychological Science (Sage Publications Inc.), 26(11),
1795-1802. doi:10.1177/0956797615600890
Friesen, C. A., & Kammrath, L. K. (2011). What it pays to know about a close other: The value
of if-then personality knowledge in close relationships. Psychological Science (Sage
Publications Inc.), 22(5), 567-571. doi:10.1177/0956797611405676
Lee, K. M., Peng, W., Jin, S., & Yan, C. (2006). Can robots manifest personality? : An empirical
test of personality recognition, social responses, and social presence in human–robot
interaction. Journal of Communication, 56(4), 754-772. doi:10.1111/j.1460-
2466.2006.00318.x

Nelson, P. A., & Thorne, A. (2012). Personality and metaphor use: How extraverted and
introverted young adults experience becoming friends. European Journal of Personality,
26(6), 600-612. doi:10.1002/per.1839
Nelson, P. A., Thorne, A., & Shapiro, L. A. (2011). Journal of Personality, 79(5), 1113-1148.
doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00719.x
Ruf, D. L., & Radosevich, D. M. (2009). How personality and gender may relate to individual
attitudes toward caring for and about others. Roeper Review, 31(4), 207-216.
Yifeng, H. (2015). Hands-on experience with uncertainty reduction theory: An effective and
engaging classroom activity. Florida Communication Journal, 43(1), 119-123.

Appendix
Table A1
Informed Consent
Colleen Danaher, a student in the Department of Communication Studies at Eastern Illinois
University, is conducting this study, "Personality and Communication in Interpersonal
Relationships"
By clicking the button to submit the survey, you are verifying that you understand the purpose of
this study is to measure your personality traits and determine how your personality type
influences your communication in interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, you are agreeing that
you understand that your participation in this study is voluntary and your refusal to participate
will not affect benefits which you are entitled to nor will any other penalties toward you occur.
You are also stating you understand the results of the survey will be reported anonymously and
used for the purpose of advancing higher education research. If you have questions concerning
this project, use the information for contacting the researchers provided at the end of this
message. The survey should only take about 10- 20 minutes to complete. Thank you for your
help.
Sincerely,
Colleen Danaher

Eastern Illinois University Interpersonal Communication Undergrad
cmdanaher@eiu.edu
Table A2
Survey Questionnaire
What is your age?
Please indicate your biological sex.
I consider myself a people person. Rate your level of agreement.
I feel as though my personality often clashes with others who have similar personalities as my
own.
When meeting new people I find it easy to establish a bond with them.
I often feel nervous when in a large crowd.
I enjoy alone time greatly, however I also really enjoy going out and being around others
depending on my mood.
I feel as though people with opposing personality types often use different wording when trying
to explain their thoughts.
I prefer face-to-face communication over computer-mediated-communication such as texting,
Facebook messaging, etc.

I would rather have a small, close circle of friends versus a lot of friends from different friend
groups.
Can you think of a situation where you were first introduced to someone and you knew right off
the bat that you two were going to be great friends, and/ or a situation where you were first
introduced to someone and you knew immediately there was no way you two were gong to be
able to get along? If you experienced both scenarios please tell me what made the person you
knew you were going to get along fine with different from the person you knew from the start
you wouldn't be able to get along with. If you can only identify with one of these scenarios
please give me some details about your interaction with a person who you got along fine from
the start OR one person you couldn't stand upon your first time meeting them.
What qualities do you look for a in a friend and/ or romantic partner? Please identify whether
you are answering this question about a friend/ romantic partner/ OR both and consider how
communication plays a role in the qualities you identify.

Appendix B
Table 1
Frequencies

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