The Interaction of Neuroticism and Gender and Its Impact on Self-Efficacy and Performance

Self-efficacy has been linked to performance in many areas of human endeavor. Examinations of personality correlates of self-efficacy suggest that emotional stability or neuroticism is consistently related to self-efficacy. Other findings suggest a gender difference in emotional stability. In this article, it is proposed that emotional stability and gender interact to affect self-efficacy and that efficacy, in turn, affects performance. The hypothesized interaction and mediation are confirmed using longitudinal data collected from college students. The model and results also provide evidence of one mechanism whereby personality affects performance even in the absence of direct personality–performance relationships.