Personality Traits and Emotional Styles as Predictors of Psychological Inflexibility in Emerging Adults

Psychological inflexibility is a key process linked to various mental health difficulties, especially during emerging adulthood. While both personality traits and emotional processes are found to influence how individuals relate to their internal experiences, their relative roles in psychological inflexibility are not yet well established. The present study examined whether Big Five personality traits predict psychological inflexibility and whether emotional styles explain additional variance beyond personality traits among emerging adults. The sample consisted of 148 individuals aged 18 to 25 years from Kerala, India, recruited using a purposive sampling technique. Participants completed the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II, Emotional Style Questionnaire and Ten-Item Personality Inventory. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted, with personality traits entered in the first step and emotional styles in the second step. Results indicated that personality traits were significantly associated with psychological inflexibility, with emotional stability emerging as a key negative predictor. Emotional styles accounted for significant additional variance beyond personality traits. Specifically, resilience, self-awareness, and sensitivity to context emerged as significant negative predictors, whereas social intuition emerged as a significant positive predictor. These findings support integrative, process-based models of psychological functioning and highlight the relevance of targeting emotional styles in interventions aimed at enhancing psychological flexibility in emerging adulthood.