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The Relation between Switching Languages and Perceived Personality Change: A Comparative Study of Bilinguals and Monolinguals

Ahrendt, Josephine LU and Nicolai, Miriam LU (2023) PSYP01 20231
Department of Psychology
Abstract
With increasing bilingualism, it becomes vital to understand the relation of language to personality. Language is essential for expressing our thoughts, and personality impacts our thoughts and behavior. This study investigates the extent of a perceived personality change when switching between languages and its connection with participants’ cultural and language backgrounds and personality profiles by comparing bilinguals with monolinguals. N = 199 participants completed a Perceived Personality Change Questionnaire (PPCQ) and the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (PI-R). To evaluate the extent of perceived change, two MANOVAs with bilingual/monolingual as independent and the PPCQ and specific personality items as dependent variables... (More)
With increasing bilingualism, it becomes vital to understand the relation of language to personality. Language is essential for expressing our thoughts, and personality impacts our thoughts and behavior. This study investigates the extent of a perceived personality change when switching between languages and its connection with participants’ cultural and language backgrounds and personality profiles by comparing bilinguals with monolinguals. N = 199 participants completed a Perceived Personality Change Questionnaire (PPCQ) and the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (PI-R). To evaluate the extent of perceived change, two MANOVAs with bilingual/monolingual as independent and the PPCQ and specific personality items as dependent variables were conducted. A Pearson correlation between the HEXACO PI-R scores and the PPCQ assessed the relationship between participants’ personality profiles and perceived change. The results show that overall, participants perceive a small personality change while bilinguals indicated a larger change than monolinguals with a medium effect size (r = -.33). The personality dimensions honesty-humility, emotionality, and openness to experience are correlated with interlocutor and conversation. These results suggest that switching languages and perceived personality changes interact with cultural and language backgrounds. Due to implications during intercultural interactions, this could impact how practitioners work with bilinguals. Understanding diverse expressions of personality in practice could facilitate effective communication and highlight the importance of developing intervention strategies that acknowledge the complex relationship between language, personality, and cultural factors. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Ahrendt, Josephine LU and Nicolai, Miriam LU
supervisor
organization
course
PSYP01 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
bilingualism, language switch, perceived personality change, HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised
language
English
additional info
Both authors contributed equally to the thesis.
id
9119924
date added to LUP
2023-06-13 15:17:26
date last changed
2023-06-13 15:19:54
@misc{9119924,
  abstract     = {{With increasing bilingualism, it becomes vital to understand the relation of language to personality. Language is essential for expressing our thoughts, and personality impacts our thoughts and behavior. This study investigates the extent of a perceived personality change when switching between languages and its connection with participants’ cultural and language backgrounds and personality profiles by comparing bilinguals with monolinguals. N = 199 participants completed a Perceived Personality Change Questionnaire (PPCQ) and the HEXACO Personality Inventory-Revised (PI-R). To evaluate the extent of perceived change, two MANOVAs with bilingual/monolingual as independent and the PPCQ and specific personality items as dependent variables were conducted. A Pearson correlation between the HEXACO PI-R scores and the PPCQ assessed the relationship between participants’ personality profiles and perceived change. The results show that overall, participants perceive a small personality change while bilinguals indicated a larger change than monolinguals with a medium effect size (r = -.33). The personality dimensions honesty-humility, emotionality, and openness to experience are correlated with interlocutor and conversation. These results suggest that switching languages and perceived personality changes interact with cultural and language backgrounds. Due to implications during intercultural interactions, this could impact how practitioners work with bilinguals. Understanding diverse expressions of personality in practice could facilitate effective communication and highlight the importance of developing intervention strategies that acknowledge the complex relationship between language, personality, and cultural factors.}},
  author       = {{Ahrendt, Josephine and Nicolai, Miriam}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Relation between Switching Languages and Perceived Personality Change: A Comparative Study of Bilinguals and Monolinguals}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}