Relationship between personality type, aggressive behaviour and self-esteem among secondary school students in Selangor, Malaysia

The purpose of the present study is to determine the relationship between personality type, aggressive behaviour and self-esteem among secondary school students in Selangor. As stated previously in past researchers, moral damage and behavioural problem among teenagers rise from year to year. Teenagers or to be precise in this study, secondary school students are a group of individuals who usually facing the challenges and problems. They are at the unstable stage and still in the process of shaping their identity and personality. Hence, the aims of this study is to investigate the personality type as well as self-esteem among the secondary school students with their aggressive behaviour. This study also aim to identify the mediation effect of self-esteem on the relationship between type of personality and aggressive behaviour. This research involved 400 secondary school students (200 male and 200 female) from state of Selangor. This study applied correlational analysis. Respondents were selected through systematic random sampling method and data collection conducted among the students at 9 secondary schools throughout Selangor. Big five personality factors (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) as independent variables were measured by using Big Five Inventory (BFI). In addition, self-esteem as mediator variables was evaluated by Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, meanwhile, aggressive behaviour (physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger and hostility) as a dependent variable was assessed by Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). The statistical techniques applied in the research were descriptive statistic, independent sample t-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression. This research used and was based on three theoretical approaches and models; Five-Factor Model, General Aggression Model (GAM) and Leary’s Sociomotor Theory of Self-Esteem. The result showed that there was positive correlation between openness and hostility (r=.144, p< 0.00); negative correlation between conscientiousness and physical aggression (r= -.291, p< 0.00), anger (r= -.131, p< 0.00) and hostility (r= -.100, p< 0.05); positive correlation between extraversion and verbal aggression (r= .145, p< 0.00), negative correlation between agreeableness and all aggressive behaviour; physical (r= -.305, p< 0.01), verbal (r= -.194, p< 0.01), anger (r= -.183, p< 0.01) and hostility (r= -.188, p< 0.01). Meanwhile, neuroticism was found to have positive significant relationship with physical (r= .118, p< 0.05), anger (r=.173, p<0.01) and hostility (r= .288, p<0.01). The findings also illustrated that there were negative correlation between openness (r= -.120, p< 0.05), conscientiousness (r= - .278, p< 0.00), extraversion (r= -.112, p< 0.05), agreeableness (r= -.159, p< 0.00) and self-esteem, while, a positive correlation between neuroticism (r= .256, p< 0.00) and self-esteem. Besides that, Pearson correlation results also illustrated that there were positive correlation between self-esteem and physical aggression (r= .106, p< 0.05), anger (r= .177, p< 0.00) and hostility (r= .212, p< 0.00). This research also had proved that self-esteem is a mediator factors for relationships between conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism and aggressive behaviour. Besides that, the study also had found that there were no significant difference between gender [physical (t= .743, p> 0.05), verbal (t= .506, p>0.05), anger (t= .906, p>0.05), hostility (t= 1.256, p>0.05)], race [physical (F= .705, p> 0.05), verbal (F= .850, p> .05), anger (F= .026, p> 0.05), hostility (F= 2.569, p> 0.05)] and residential area [physical (t= -.752, p> 0.05), verbal (t=1.930, p> 0.05), anger (t= 1.299, p> 0.05), hostility (t= .211, p> 0.05) in terms of all aggressive behaviour. The findings also illustrated that there was no significant relationship with total family income. However, the results indicates that there was significant relationship between age (r= .110, p< 0.05) and verbal aggression as well as significant relationship between number of siblings (r= .123, p< 0.05) and hostility. Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that physical aggression is predicted by agreeableness (β= -.211, p< 0.00) and conscientiousness (β= -.183, p< 0.00). Meanwhile, verbal aggression is predicted by agreeableness (β= -.227, p< 0.00), extraversion (β= .183, p< 0.00) and age (β= .105, p< 0.01). The findings also illustrated that anger is predicted by agreeableness (β= -.154, p< 0.00) and neuroticism (β= .141, p< 0.00) while hostility is predicted by neuroticism (β= -.237, p<0.00), agreeableness (β= -.197, p< 0.00), openness (β= .204, p< 0.00), and number of siblings (β= .120, p< 0.05). As conclusion, from the correlation results, it can be summarized that those secondary school students who are high in openness showed high in hostility, meanwhile, those who are high in conscientiousness indicates that they were low in performing physical aggression, anger and hostility. Besides that, those who were high on extraversion were proved to have high tendency in committing verbal aggression and those who are high in agreeableness revealed to be low in performing all types of aggressive behaviour, whereas high neuroticism secondary school students showed that they are high in involving with physical aggression, anger and hostility. This study had proposes few recommendations for the society about the prevention pertaining to aggressive behaviours that occurred among the secondary schools students. This study also suggested that the schools need to consider to have a suitable activities and prevention ways that suits the personality of the students. In addition, the teachers as well as parents can work together to boost up the self-esteem of the students and teach them how to relate self-esteem with pro-social behaviour. As a wrap up, the study had gave a new light in the context of social psychology especially in aggressive behaviour among secondary school students in Selangor.

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