Do experiences during the transition to working life Matter?: The role of mastery and psychological commitment in personality trait change

Abstract

Differences in transition experiences might explain individual differences in personality trait change. In the present six-wave study, we investigated personality trait change during the transition to work in a sample of students who were in their last two years of their study program (N = 311). We tested whether the transition (i.e., participation in an internship), psychological commitment (i.e., educational identity), and mastery of the transition (i.e., GPA and fit between master degree and job) would predict individual differences in personality trait change. The results indicated that mastery and commitment did not explain individual differences in personality trait change. Only individual differences in extraversion change could be explained by participation in an internship, by means of reduced extraversion in internship students.