What Lies Beyond Personality Traits? The Role of Intolerance of Uncertainty, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Metacognition

• Pedro Altungy ^[1] ; Sara Liébana ^[1] ; Ashley Navarro-McCarthy ^[1] ; José Manuel Sánchez-Marqueses ^[2] ; Andrea García de Marina ^[1] ; Ana Sanz-García ^[1] ; María Paz García-Vera ^[1] ; Jesús Sanz ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Complutense de Madrid

     Universidad Complutense de Madrid

     Madrid, España

     
  2. [2] Centro Universitario Cardenal Cisneros (Spain)
• Localización: Psicothema, ISSN-e 1886-144X, ISSN 0214-9915, Vol. 37, Nº. 1, 2025, págs. 50-59
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.70478/psicothema.2025.37.06
• Títulos paralelos:
  • ¿Qué Hay más Allá de los Rasgos de la Personalidad? El Papel de la Intolerancia a la Incertidumbre, Sensibilidad a la Ansiedad y Metacognición
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen
  • español

    Antecedentes: Aunque los modelos de personalidad de rasgos se han consolidado como los modelos hegemónicos para describir la personalidad y tienen capacidad para predecir variables de interés psicológico (p. ej., trastornos mentales), existen lagunas acerca del por qué los rasgos de personalidad predicen esas variables. Hipotetizamos que intolerancia a la incertidumbre, sensibilidad a la ansiedad y metacognición podrían responder parcialmente a dicho por qué. Método: Se analizó: (1) la relación entre estas tres variables y las cinco dimensiones del modelo Big Five (n = 914; 51,7% mujeres) y (2) la relación entre estas variables y las facetas del neuroticismo (n = 656; 55,7% mujeres).

    Resultados: La intolerancia a la incertidumbre se relacionó con neuroticismo, extraversión y amabilidad, mientras que la sensibilidad a la ansiedad mostró estar relacionada con neuroticismo. Ambas se relacionaron también con las seis facetas del neuroticismo (salvo impulsividad para la intolerancia a la incertidumbre). La metacognición no mostró relaciones significativas con ninguna de las dimensiones. Conclusiones: El presente trabajo arroja luz sobre el por qué subyacente a las relaciones potenciales entre los rasgos de personalidad y conductas relevantes, siendo la intolerancia a la incertidumbre y la sensibilidad a la ansiedad de gran importancia, especialmente para el neuroticismo.

  • English

    Background: Although personality trait models have become consolidated as the hegemonic taxonomical models for describing personality and provide excellent capacity for predicting variables of psychological interest (i.e., mental disorders), there are still important gaps in our knowledge about why personality traits predict those variables. We hypothesised that intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity and metacognition may partially give an answer to that why. Method: We analysed: (1) the relationship between those three variables and the five dimensions of the Big Five model (n = 914; 51.7% women) in Study 1, and (2) the relationship between those variables and neuroticism facets (n = 656; 55.7% women) in Study 2. Results: Intolerance of uncertainty was statistically related to the dimensions of neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness, while anxiety sensitivity also proved to be related to neuroticism. Both variables were related to the six facets of the neuroticism dimension (with the exception of the impulsivity facet for intolerance of uncertainty). Metacognition showed no significant relationship with any of the personality dimensions.

    Conclusions: The current work sheds some light on the why underlying the potential relationships between personality traits and relevant behaviours, with intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety sensitivity being particularly important, especially concerning the neuroticism dimension.

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