Factors influencing personality traits of rural and urban college students

Abstract

Personality is defined as the characteristics of behaviors, emotional patterns and cognitions that progress fromenvironmental and biological factors. The present study was conducted in Dharwad with an objective to study the factorsinfluencing personality factors of rural and urban college students. The total sample comprised of 215 science degree collegestudents including 115 from urban and 100 from rural Dharwad in the age range of 18-21 years. General informationschedule and socio economic status scale were used to gather the personal information and Socio-economic status of thestudents. Personality factors of the college students were assessed by using the Big Five Inventory (BFI), and intelligencewas measured using Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM). Results revealed that majority of the students hadhigh level of extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, average level of emotional stability and openness to experience.Both males and females scored better on agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experienceand most of them were in average range. Ordinal position had significant relationship with agreeableness and emotionalstability. Intelligence was significantly related to extroversion, conscientiousness and openness to experience. Type offamily had significant relationship with extroversion, agreeableness, emotional stability and openness to experience. SESwas significantly related to agreeableness factor. Locality was significantly related to agreeableness, conscientiousness,emotional stability and openness to experience. In conclusion, the results of this study indicated that various familial andpersonal factors play major role in deciding the personality of the college students