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name
Psychology of Personality day/time
Office use only

Unit Assignment
code
PSY30008 no.
1 Due date 06/05/19
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Dr Simone Buzwell
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Dr Simone Buzwell Faculty or school date stamp

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(1) Allison Fiona 0948055

(3)

(6)

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(1) Fiona Allison (4)

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Acceptance of cosmetic procedures: The role of extraversion,

neuroticism and age in motivational forces

Name: Fiona Allison

Student #: 0948055
Tutor: Dr Simone Buzwell
Subject: Psychology of Personality
Subject Code: PSY30008
Word Count:

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the personality traits of

extraversion and neuroticism, and social motivators in considering undertaking

minimally invasive cosmetic procedures (i.e. Botox injections), within age groups

(Group 1 <31 and Group 2 >30). Participants consisted of 64 women and 21 men

aged between 19 and 60, who were recruited from a medium sized university in

Melbourne, Australia. The study consisted of a voluntary, online survey. As

predicted, there was a positive correlation between extraversion and social motivators

for considering MCP. In addition, it was found that neuroticism negatively correlated

to considering undertaking MCP. Results also indicated that the younger group was

higher in extraversion, as predicted. It was concluded that although this research

supports previous findings, the study needs to be replicated with a larger sample with

the addition of variables such as gender.

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The number of cosmetic procedures in Australia has increased exponentially

in the last few years with one billion dollars a year spent on minimally invasive

cosmetic surgery procedures (MCP; Australian Psychological Sociey, 2018). Much

research has been conducted on invasive cosmetic surgery procedures (CSP) (i.e.

breast augmentation and rhinoplasty), worldwide. However, there is a gap in research

on MCP, defined as minimally invasive cosmetic procedures such as botox (anti-

wrinkle treatment), laser treatment, and injectable fillers (Australian Psychological

Sociey, 2018), particularly in Australia. Predispositions and motivations to undertake

MCP has long been an area of interest for researchers. For example, it has been

argued that certain personality traits may predispose individuals to opine favourably

toward MCP, in particular the traits of Extraversion and Emotional Stability (vs

Neuroticism) (REF). Extraversion is defined as warm, gregarious (Lucas &

Donnellan, 2009), maintains an active life within the social sphere and is responsive

to external attention (von Soest et al., 2009). Whereas, low scores on Emotional

Stability, or Neuroticism, defined as anxious, self-conscious, hostile and anti-social.

Motivational factors are also an important consideration when researching MCP.

Intrapersonal motivators are self-oriented motivations for considering MCP/CSP and

social motivators which are external motivators such as maintaining romantic

relationships or improving career opportunities (Swami et al., 2009). The aim of the

current study is to establish whether there is a correlation between the personality

traits of extraversion and neuroticism, and the motivational factors of intrapersonal or

social in considering undertaking MCP. In addition differences in age and measures

of changes in Extraversion as an influencer in undertaking MCP, will be examined.

The Big Five model of personality traits, developed by McCrae and Costa

(1997) is the most popular of personality models (von Soest et al., 2009) and there is

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general agreement that the five broad personality traits identified (Extraversion,

Emotional Stability (vs Neuroticism, Openness, Conscientiousness and

Agreeableness) capture the major variables in normal personality (Lucas &

Donnellan, 2009). Extraversion and neuroticism are the focus of the current study.

There are two dominant theoretical perspectives of personality traits. The biological

theory asserts that personality is biologically based and is therefore immune to

environmental changes. It remains constant over time (McCrae & Costa 1997) and as

a result test-retest reliability is high (PDSA). In a McRae and Costa (1988)

publication it was found that levels of the Big 5 personality traits remain stable

beyond the age of thirty. The contextual theory of personality posits that there is an

interplay between biological and environmental processes and personality changes as

a result of changing contexts across the lifespan such as work and family

environments (Roberts). This theory has low test-retest reliability (PDSA).

The contextual theory has been supported by numerous studies. In a

longitudinal study comprising of 1,944 participants, Terracciano, Mccrae, Brant, and

Costa (2005) found that personality traits changed in different ways over the course of

life span. Neuroticism and extraversion decreased slowly at first (AGE?) then

increased in pace of decline with age. However, significant changes were found in

individual participants which authors proposed may be explained by contextual

factors such as disease or varied experiences. In an Australian, cross-sectional study,

comprising of 12,618 individuals it was found that extraversion and neuroticism were

negatively associated with age (Lucas & Donnellan, 2009). Another large cross-

sectional, internet study (132,515 participants), it was found that extraversion

increased until 30 years of age but subsequently decreased (Srivastava et al., 2003).

Neuroticism also decreased among women after 30 but did not for male participants

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suggesting a gender difference in changes within strength of individual personality

traits. Due to its convenience sampling, this study may have a sampling bias due to

internet recruitment.

It has been proposed that levels of personality traits can influence appearance

evaluation based on the social nature of extraversion and the anti-social nature of

neuroticism, and as a result impact the motivation to consider CSP. In a study on

extraversion and it’s impact on how self-evaluated appearance motivates appearance

enhancing behaviour, it was found that both extraversion and neuroticism had the

highest correlation, of the Big Five personality traits, with appearance evaluation (von

Soest et al., 2009). Those in the experimental group, recruited at a cosmetic surgery

practice, were significantly higher in extraversion than those in the control group. In

addition extraversion scores increased after the surgery due to perceived physical

improvements. However, this study may have a selection bias as the majority of

follow up survey responses were by those who had completed surgery. In addition,

the study did not report the variances in age, only the variances in appearance

evaluation pre and post operation. (Kvalem, Von Soest, Roald, and Skolleborg

(2006) found a significant relationship between appearance orientation and

extraversion. In a sample of college students (N=332), Swami, Chamorro-Premuzic,

Bridges, and Furnham (2009) found that those lower on neuroticism were more

likely to consider surgery and social factors strongly affected by emotional stability.

However, this study utilised university students from a metropolitan university, which

does not allow for generalisability over lifespan or rural areas. In a study of women in

Berlin undergoing Botox and anti-wrinkle treatment, it was found that the average

weight of participants was lower than that of the general adult female population in

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the same metropolitan area, possibly indicating further preoccupation with appearance

(Scharschmidt et al., 2018).

A preoccupation with appearance and consideration of CSP can be caused by

two motivational forces, Intrapersonal and Social. Intrapersonal involves self-oriented

reasons for considering MCP such as improving a negative body image or future

image i.e. preventing wrinkles. It is concerned with ideas of a negative body image or

a perceived negative view of future image, ie developing wrinkles. However, in a

study conducted on 683 university faculty and staff in the USA, it was found that

older participants were more favourable in their attitudes toward CSP and were

motivated by social rather than intrapersonal reasons than younger participants

(Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 2005). They also found that idea of future

unattractiveness was a predictor of considering CSP. Swami et al. also found social

factors were positively correlated to high Emotional Stability. In a study by (Davis &

Vernon, 2002) it was found that age was among the largest predictors of actually

undertaking CSP. However, 80% of the participants were under thirty which would

make it difficult to contrast different age groups.

This study aims to further investigate whether traits of extraversion and

neuroticism correlate with attitudes toward MCP. It was hypothesised that

Extraversion would positively correlate with the Social subscale of the ACSS. It was

also hypothesised that Neuroticism would be negatively correlated with the Consider

Subscale of the ACSS. In addition it was hypothesised that Extraversion scores in

those up to and including 30 years would be higher than those in the group 31 years

and above.

Method

Participants

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Ninety participants took part in the survey. However, five of the surveys were

missing relevant data and were eliminated. The sample consisted of 64 women and 21

men between the ages of 19 and 60 (M= 34.6, SD= 10.5). Participants were recruited

from a medium sized university in Melbourne, Australia, and from social media

contacts of the researcher.

Materials

Acceptance of Cosmetic Procedure Scale (ACPS; Henderson-King & Henderson-

King, 2005) was used to assess attitudes and participants’ motivations for considering

CSP. The scale was modified for the current study to measure ‘minor cosmetic

surgery’ (minimally invasive cosmetic enhancement procedures such as botox, laser

treatment and injectable fillers etc.) rather than cosmetic surgery in general. The scale

consisted of 15 items which were divided among three subscales: The Intrapersonal

Subscale which measures perceived self-oriented benefits of CSP; the Social Subscale

which measured social motivations to undertake CSP such as improved or maintained

attractiveness to others; and the Consider Subscale which measures the likelihood of

having CSP. Participants rated each item on a 7-point scale (1=strongly disagree, 7=

strongly agree). The minimum achievable score was 5 for each subscale, and a

maximum achievable score is 35 for each subscale. There was no reverse coding,

therefore the higher the score within each subscale the higher the participant

motivation or likelihood of considering MCP. Swami et al. (2009) found the ACPS to

be reliable with a Cronbach's  of .92 (Intrapersonal Subscale), .90 (Social Subscale,

and .90 (Consider Subscale), while Henderson-King and Henderson-King (2005)

indicated that the scale has good convergent and discriminant validity, internal

consistency and test-retest reliability.

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IPIP BIG-FIVE 50-ITEM SCALE (GOLDBERG, 1992) was used to measure levels

of personality traits. The questionnaire, consisting of 50 items, measures the five traits

(or subscales) of Extraversion, Emotional Stability (vs Neuroticism),

Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness, with ten items related to each trait.

Participants rate each item on a 5-point scale (1= very inaccurate, 5= very accurate).

Of the ten items within each subscale five are reverse coded. The minimum score that

can be achieved for each subscale is 10, and the maximum is 50. A higher score

indicates the participant is higher in that trait. International Personality Item Pool

(2019) found the Extraversion and Emotional Stability scales to be reliable with a

(ten-item) Cronbach's  of .87 and .86 respectively. Gow, Whiteman, Pattie, and

Deary (2005) indicated that the scale has good validity and internal consistency with

his Scottish, undergraduate sample.

Procedure

Participants were invited to participate in a voluntary anonymous survey that was

administered online through Qualtrics, an online survey tool. First year undergraduate

students who participated were given course credit. Third year and external social

media participants did not receive compensation for participating. However, third

year undergraduate students would subsequently use the results of the current study in

their coursework.

Prior to the commencement of the survey a briefing was presented online which

explained the purpose of the survey and future use of data, the nature of the questions,

and approximate time to complete. Participants were informed of the voluntary and

anonymous nature of the survey, and the risk associated (minimal). Contact

information was given in the event of any adverse effects as a result of participation.

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It explained that consent by the participantwould be implied if they proceeded with

the survey. The briefing also provided the details of the Ethics Committee approval.

Results

Mean scores for variables are shown in Table 1. Extraversion and emotional

stability mean scores were at similar levels. However, Social subscale mean score was

slightly below the mid point.

Table 1

Mean scores, minimum and maximum scores and distribution for each variable.

Actual Actual M(SD) Skew (SE= Kurtosis (SE=

Minimum Maximum .26) .52)
Extraversion 10.00 48.00 30.64 (7.91) -.40 .18
Neuroticism 11.00 45.00 29.88 (8.45) -.05 -.74
Social 5.00 35.00 16.01(9.41) .47 -1.07
Consider 5.00 35.00 20.51(10.77) -.08 -1.48
SE= Standard Error

A bivariate correlation was conducted on Extraversion, Emotional Stability, Social

subscales, and the Consider subscale to test the first two hypotheses. It was found that

there was a positive correlation between Extraversion and the Social subscale of the

ACSS, but Pearson’s shows that this relationship is not significant, r= .07, n= 85, p=

.532. There was a negative correlation between Neuroticism and the Consider

subscale of the ACSS. This relationship was significant, r= -.25, n=85, p= .021. The

findings also indicate that there is a positive relationship between Extraversion and

the Consider subscale of the ACSS. Pearson’s shows that this relationship is

significant, r= .26, n= 85, p=.019. In addition a negative relationship was found

between Emotional Stability and the Social subscale of the ACSS. This was also

significant, r= -.31, n=85, p= .004.

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To test the third hypothesis, an Independent samples t-test was conducted. The

participants were divided into groups based on age. Group 1 consisted of those aged

30 years and below (N= 16) and Group 2 consisted of those 31 years and above (N=

31). It was found that the Extraversion scores for those in Group 1 (x̄ = 32.16 points,

s= 5.99 points, n= 16) was higher than those in Group 2 (x̄ = 29.45 points, s= 8.82

points, n= 31). The independent samples t-test shows that this difference is not

significant, t(45)= 1.09, p= .283. The 95% confidence interval indicates that on

average extraversion scores are between 2.28 points less and 7.63 points more in

Group 1 than Group 2.

Discussion

The results of the current study supports the hypothesis that there would be a

positive relationship between Extraversion and the Social subscale of the ACSS.

However this result was not significant. In contrast, the second hypothesis that there

would be a negative correlation between Neuroticism and the Consider subscale of

the ACSS, was supported and results were significant. The third hypothesis that

Extraversion would be higher in the younger group (Group 1- up to and including 30

years) compared to Group 2 (31 years and above) was supported. However this

difference was no significant.

Previous studies have indicated that a correlation exists between extraversion,

defined as a predisposition to maintain social relationships, and social motivators of

CSP (von Soest et al., 2009; Kvalem et al., 2006). The current study indicates that

those findings have been replicated for extraversion and MCP . However, it was also

found that extraversion was higher in the lower age group. This contrasted with

previous research that found that participants who were older were more favourable in

their attitudes toward CSP, and more likely to undertake CSP (Henderson-King &

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Henderson-King, 2005). Therefore, there may be confounding variables to explain

why those lower in extroversion, at an older age, view CSP more favourable. In

contrast, those high in neuroticism, a trait more closely related to having anti-social

tendencies, would be less likely to consider MCP due to a lower social motivation.

Swami et al. (2009) found that social factors were related to high emotional stability,

the inverse of neuroticism. However, Kvalem et al. also found that high neuroticism

was associated with negative evaluation of one’s own appearance, indicating that they

may consider MCP for Intrapersonal reasons rather than social motivation.

There are a few limitations in the current study. The age groups were divided

from 0-30 years and from 31-60 years. This was based on previous research that

indicated growth in personality factors up to the age of 30, proceeded by a slow

decline in both extraversion and neuroticism (McCrae and Costa; others???).

However, though many studies have found this to be the case, there is no consensus

on the age at which peak stability is achieved and the rate of decline in scores on these

traits. A met-analysis by Fraley & Roberts (2004) found that stability in personality

traits peaks after the age of 50. Until such a time as there is a more well defined

model of personality changes, it is unlikely to reach a definitive conclusion. The

sample within the current study also contained a gender bias with 67 women and 21

males. As indicated in previous studies (REFS), personality traits may decline at a

different rate for men as opposed to women. This would produce incorrect scores for

personality traits and subsequent correlation to the subscales. This may be corrected

in future studies by dividing the Groups by age and by gender.

Establishing motivational factors for considering and undertaking MCP is

important to understand in terms of mental health. There are many

psychopathological issues such as Body Dismorphic Disorder, which may be

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associated with Intrapersonal motivators for undertaking MCP/CSP and issues such as

Social Anxiety Disorder which may be associated with Social motivators to undertake

MCP/CSP. In understanding how personality traits are associated with motivations for

undertaking CSP/MCP, mental health professionals can further hone their skills in

identifying psychopathology.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between the personality traits of

extraversion, neuroticism and motivators in considering MCP, while considering age

influences on personality scores. The results support previous research that

personality traits are correlated to motivational forces behind electing to undertake

MCP. This study will further add to the growing information on personality traits and

their relationship to cosmetic procedure consideration and assist researchers in further

development in establishing a model of the changing personality traits across the

lifespan and how these changes affect consideration of and motivation for undertaking

MCP.

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Reference List

PEOP
Australian Psychological Sociey. (2018). Psychological evaluations of patients
undergoing cosmetic procedures. Melbourne, Australia.
STBB
Davis, D., & Vernon, M. (2002). Sculpting the Body Beautiful: Attachment Style,
Neuroticism, and Use of Cosmetic Surgeries. Sex Roles, 47, 129-138.
doi: 10.1023/A:1021043021624

IPIP
Goldberg, L. R. (1992). The Development of Markers for the Big-Five Factor
Structure. Psychological Assessment, 4, 26-42. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.4.1.26

GWP
Gow, A. J., Whiteman, M. C., Pattie, A., & Deary, I. J. (2005). Goldberg’s ‘IPIP’
Big-Five factor markers: Internal consistency and concurrent validation
in Scotland. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 317-329.
doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2005.01.011
(Gow et al., 2005)

ACSS (2005)
Henderson-King, D., & Henderson-King, E. (2005). Acceptance of cosmetic surgery:
Scale development and validation. Body Image, 2, 137-149 doi: 10.1016/
j.bodyim.2005.03.003
(Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 2005)

International Personality Item Pool. (n.d.). Retrieved April 2019, from https://ipip
.ori.org/newBigFive5broadKey.htm
Kvalem, I. L., Von Soest, T, Roald, H. E., & Skolleborg, K. C. (2006). The interplay of
personality and negative comments about appearance in predicting body
image.
Body Image, 3, 263-273. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2006.04.002

ADIP
Lucas, R. E., & Donnellan, M. B. (2009). Age Differences in Personality: Evidence
From a Nationally Representative Australian Sample. Developmental
Psychology, 45, 1353-1363. doi: 10.1037/a0013914
BIPT

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Scharschmidt, D., Mirastschijski, U., Preiss, S., Brähler, E. Fischer, T., &
Borkenhagen, A. (2018). Body Image, Personality Traits, and Quality of Life in
Botulinum Toxin A and Dermal Filler Patients. Aesthetic plastic surgery, 42, 1119-
1125. doi: 10.1007/s00266-018-1165-3

DOPE
Srivastava, S., John, O. P., Gosling, S. D., Potter, J. (2003). Development of
Personality in Early and Middle Adulthood: Set Like Plaster or Persistent
Change? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1041-1053.
doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.84.5.1041
AOCS
Swami, V., Chamorro-Premuzic, T., Bridges, S., & Furnham, A. (2009). Acceptance
of cosmetic surgery: Personality and individual difference predictors.
Body Image, 6, 7-13. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2008.09.004

HLMA
Terracciano, A., Mccrae, R. R., Brant, L. J., & Costa, P. T. (2005). Hierarchical
Linear Modeling Analyses of the NEO-PI–R Scales in the Baltimore
Longitudinal Study of Aging. Psychology and Aging, 20, 493-506.
doi: 10.1037/0882-7974.20.3.493

Von Soest, T., Kvalem, I. L., Skolleborg, K. C., & Roald, H. E. (2009). Cosmetic
surgery and the relationship between appearance satisfaction and extraversion:
Testing a transactional model of personality. Journal of Research in
Personality, 43, 1017-1025. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2009.07.001

___________________

EFFT
McCrae and Costa Personality Trait Structure as a Human Universal
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1997). Personality Trait Structure as a Human
Universal. American Psychologist, 52, 509-516. doi: 10.1037/0003-
066X.52.5.509

PDSA

McCrae and Costa 2003 Personality in adulthood: a Five-Factor theory (2nd Ed)
Kvalem, von soest, roald and Skolleborg (2006)

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