Extracurricular activities and The Big Five Personality Test

Adolescents have busy lives. One aspect that they do is attend sports; the other concerns part-time work. The dual impact of these two activities has not yet been sufficiently studied. The literature on extracurricular activities proposes that some traits like conscientiousness may be stronger because of these activities, but they could also develop stress that may enhance neuroticism. Importantly, there is a lack of studies exploring the converse interaction between these two types of activities during adolescence (ages 14-18). Social cognitive theory postulates that personality traits develop through an interaction with the environment, and thus extracurricular activities become imperative for personality development. This study examines how sports and part-time work impact the Big Five personality traits, neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. In a suburban high school in the southeastern United States, students aged 14 to 18 taking a combination of sports and part-time work were investigated. Participants were divided into four categories: those involved in both sports and part-time work, neither, only sports, or only part-time work. Results showed that students who did both sports and part-time work scored higher in extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness, implying that the combination favored sociability, creativity, and goal-orientedness. Part-time work alone was highest in agreeableness, implying that work settings encourage cooperative and empathic traits; however, students doing both had greater levels of neuroticism, understandably due to the stress of juggling responsibilities. These findings indicate that extracurricular activities foster personality development and traits associated with socializing and organization. However, this balance may have its downside: the increased stress that may result in an increase in neuroticism. Programs for time management and stress relief geared toward students involved in numerous activities may help educators support those students toward academic success and mental well-being. Limitations of the study include small sample size and self-reported data that could be biased. Future research should use a larger, more diverse sample and consider the long-term effects of personality development.