Resumen de Does multilingualism shape personality?: An exploratory investigation

Jean-Marc Dewaele, Elouise Botes

• Aims and objectives:

  Personality psychologists argue that personality is the result of nature and nurture. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the latter. The present study considers the effect of multilingualism, a social factor, on personality.

  Methodology:

  A total of 651 multilinguals from around the world filled out an online questionnaire containing questions about participants’ language profile and a so-called “Big 5” questionnaire: the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (short form).

  Data and analysis:

  Correlation analyses were run between the level of multilingualism of participants and their scores on five personality traits. A parceled structural equation model was then used to examine the influence of multilingualism on three personality subscales.

  Findings:

  The model indicated significant positive path coefficients between the level of multilingualism and Flexibility, Social Initiative and Open-mindedness.

  Significance:

  Our findings confirm and expand earlier research that showed that multilingualism/multiculturalism can be considered to be enduring environmental factors that contribute to the shaping of personality profiles.