The Effects of the Moderating Variables (Family, Education, Peer Group) on the Association between Extraversion and Identity Styles

The present study aims at examining the effects of moderating variables on the association between extraversion and identity styles. A quantitative research method (descriptive and survey) was employed. The sample included high school students (n=380) aged 17 and 18. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses were used. In the first stage, the relationship between extraversion and normative style was significantly moderated by the level of education (B= .10, p < .05). Additional results also showed that peer group relationship significantly moderates the relationship between extraversion and also diffuses identity style (B= -.13, p < .05). The results of the study supported theories like social cognitive theory, General other theory, and the triat approach. The results shed new light on the processes involved in the personality characteristics and moderating variables of adolescents’ styles of identity exploration.