From Fear to Flow: Personality and Information Interaction

By Jannica Heinstrom

From Fear to Flow explores how personality traits may influence attitude, behaviour and reaction to information. Consideration is made for individual differences in information behaviour and reasons behind individual search differences. The book reviews personality and information behaviour and discusses how personality may influence the attitude towards information. Reaction to information is examined in contexts such as everyday life, decision-making, work, studies and human-computer interaction.

• Introduces a little researched area which is current and needed in our Information Age
• Explores how personality traits may influence attitude, behaviour and reaction to information
• Provides an overview of the psychological aspects and individual differences in information seeking behaviour and examines reasons behind individual search differences other than personality

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Release date: Jul 30, 2010
• ISBN: 9781780630366

Jannica Heinstrom

Dr. Jannica Heinstrom has a masters degree in Psychology and a PhD in Information Studies from Abo Akademi University, Finland. She is currently a full time researcher at the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries, Rutgers University, USA. She has extensive research experience in the field of psychological mechanisms of information behaviour, with an emphasis on personality differences. Her work has won numerous prices, including the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence, Outstanding Paper Award, 2005.

Book preview

Chandos Information Professional Series

From Fear to Flow: Personality and information interaction

Jannica Heinström

Table of Contents

Cover image

Title page

Copyright

List of figures and tables

About the author

List of acronyms

Chapter 1: Introduction

Making the most of strengths

The whole is more than the sum of the parts

Chapter 2: Personality

Trait theory

Consistency

Genetic base

Five-factor model

Chapter 3: Openness to experience – the exploration dimension

introduction

Open information interaction

Innovation and discovery

Joy of learning

Intuitive decision-making

Incidental information acquisition

Curiosity

Tip-of-the-tongue experience

Risk-taking

Cautious information interaction

Chapter 4: Conscientiousness – the persistence dimension

Introduction

Conscientious information interaction

Dedication and thoroughness

Work achievement

The goal in mind and heart

Careful decision-making

Laid-back information interaction

Chapter 5: Extroversion – the social dimension

Introduction

Interpersonal information interaction

Flexibility and pragmatism

Sensation seeking

Reflective information interaction

Chapter 6: Agreeableness – the trust dimension

Introduction

Agreeable information interaction

Competitive information interaction

Chapter 7: Negative affectivity – the emotional dimension

Introduction

Anxiety versus depression

Anxious perception

Anxious interpretation

Frenetic information seeking

Depression

Aggression

Pessimism

Negative emotionality as a barrier

Supporting the library anxious

Avoidance in a work context

Decision-making and relevance judgment

Chapter 8: Need for cognition

Chapter 9: Positive emotionality

Introduction

Mood

Incidental information acquisition

Motivation

Happily prolonging uncertainty

Flow

Chapter 10: Self-efficacy and self-confidence

Introduction

Self-assured information interaction

Confident decision-making

Efficiency in a work context

Insecure information interaction

Chapter 11: Locus of control

Introduction

Responsible information interaction

Helplessness

Chapter 12: Monitoring and blunting

Introduction

Intensive information seeking

Dispositional coping

Arousal

Monitoring and trait anxiety

Information avoidance

Chapter 13: Uncertainty orientation

Introduction

Uncertainty-oriented information interaction

Certainty-oriented information interaction

Uncertainty orientation and other traits

Chapter 14: Broad scanning, fast surfing and deep diving

Chapter 15: Discussion

You have your own unique talents in information interaction – capitalize on them!

Strengths in information interaction

Openness to experience

Conscientiousness

Extroversion

Agreeableness

Negative affectivity

The full picture

Five dimensions

Personality and information interaction 2.0 forward

References

Index

Copyright

Chandos Publishing

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Tel: + 44 (0) 1993 848726

E-mail: [e-mail]

www.chandospublishing.com

Chandos Publishing is an imprint of Woodhead Publishing Limited

Woodhead Publishing Limited

Abington Hall

Granta Park

Great Abington

Cambridge CB21 6AH

UK

www.woodheadpublishing.com

First published in 2010

ISBN:

978 1 84334 513 8

© Jannica Heinström, 2010

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the Publishers. This publication may not be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without the prior consent of the Publishers. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The Publishers make no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this publication and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions.

The material contained in this publication constitutes general guidelines only and does not represent to be advice on any particular matter. No reader or purchaser should act on the basis of material contained in this publication without first taking professional advice appropriate to their particular circumstances. Any screenshots in this publication are the copyright of the website owner(s), unless indicated otherwise.

Typeset in the UK by Concerto.

Printed in the UK and USA.

Cartoons by Siân Clifford, Concerto

List of figures and tables

Figures

3.1. The open searcher 16

3.2. The conservative searcher 17

4.1. The conscientious searcher 40

4.2. The laid-back searcher 41

5.1. The outgoing searcher 56

5.2. The introverted searcher 57

6.1. The agreeable searcher 70

6.2. The competitive searcher 71

7.1. The worried searcher 76

7.2. The secure searcher 78

7.3. The Yerkes-Dodson law 98

Tables

2.1. Adjectives which correlate with the five-factor dimensions 13

14.1. Hypothetical connection between information attitude, search style and result in interaction with emotions and personality 160

15.1. The relationship between openness to experience and information behavior 168

15.2. The relationship between conscientiousness and information behavior 169

15.3. The relationship between extroversion and information behavior 170

15.4. The relationship between agreeableness and information behavior 171

15.5. The relationship between negative affectivity and information behavior 172

15.6. Overview of mechanisms through which the five-factor-model personality traits influence information interaction 177

About the author

Jannica Heinström is an associate professor in the Department of Information Studies at Åbo Akademi University, Finland. She has a master’s degree in psychology and a PhD in information studies. Her research interests lie in psychological aspects of information interaction, such as personality, motivation and emotion. In 2004 she was a visiting scholar at the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL) at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA. The visit was funded by grants from the Fulbright Association and the Academy of Finland. Before taking up her current position in 2009, she continued her research at CISSL, with a focus on information literacy and learning processes, for an additional four years. She received the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence, Outstanding Paper Award, 2005.

The author may be contacted at: [e-mail]. Website: http://users.abo.fi/jheinstr.

List of acronyms

BAS behavioral activation system

BIS behavioral inhibition system

ESFP extroverted sensing-feeling-perceiving

ESTP extroverted sensing-thinking-perceiving

1

Introduction

Making the most of strengths

Every second the information available to us grows, not the least on the internet. With it comes an increasing demand on the capacity to handle information. To keep up with this rapid growth and changing society, one is encouraged to become an information-literate lifelong learner. This requires constant adaption, open-mindedness and willingness to change. It may also call for discipline and effort, and will certainly be facilitated by a strong motivation. Information-literacy skills may be acquired, but the attitude, willingness and ability to adapt may come more naturally for some than for others. It is therefore plausible that certain persons have an inborn aptitude to handle the changing demands with less effort than others. Different personality traits may bring with them particular strengths and aptitudes for the information society. Some may benefit from their strengths in one particular context, and others will shine under other circumstances.

A tradition of positive psychology has in recent years developed and grown. The founders of this movement argue that it is just as important to investigate positive aspects of human life as it is to understand the negative ones (Seligman, 2002). Quality of life is not only enhanced by rectifying problems, but by preventing their occurrence in the first place. In order to do this we need a deeper understanding of attributes that enrich our lives. Similarly, it is time to explore positive aspects of information behavior (Kari and Hartel, 2007). The current information environment on the internet invites this constructive view. Although internet searching may be challenging at times, much of the time spent online has a positive connotation. We interact with friends, share experiences or investigate interests. Instead of only focusing on problems and challenges, taking the negative as the point of departure, we also need to explore aspects that are functional, positive and beneficial. One way to do this is to discover the particular individual strengths each person brings to information interaction.

The implicit message of information theories and models sometimes seems to be that information behavior is a rational, problem-solving process, where a gap in knowledge triggers a conscious search for information. Information acquisition is viewed as something purposeful and goal-directed, with an underlying assumption that people act on an information need. This applies to some situations, but in many cases the information-seeking process is dynamic and changeable. It is dependent on the context and to a large extent on the individual performing it (Solomon, 2002). Sometimes information is acquired incidentally (Erdelez, 1997), sometimes it is ignored and denied (Johnson, 1997), and occasionally it brings more damage than gain (Brashers et al., 2000). Some people may plan and structure their searches, while others gather information more flexibly and spontaneously (Heinström, 2006b). With a widening view of information behavior as something at times rational and planned, and occasionally spontaneous and creative, we also broaden our view on the person interacting with information.

The question of whether and how personality influences information interaction has been raised in many contexts over the years. The influence of individual differences has been explored under such diverse circumstances as new employees getting acquainted with job requirements (e.g. Vancouver and Morrison, 1995) and amount of background information needed in order to feel comfortable with a potential date (Henderson et al., 2006). Personality differences have also been studied in relation to health information seeking (Mayne, 1999), and on a micro level in knowledge construction and problem-solving (Kernan and Mojena, 1973). Some of these studies have tested multiple personality traits related to a general model of personality, such as the Myers-Briggs (Myers and McCauley, 1985), but the majority have focused on specific traits such as sensation seeking (Lu et al., 2006), perfectionism (Ishida, 2005), curiosity (Litman et al., 2005) or inclination to worry (Marcus et al., 2000). In this book the discussion of personality traits will be based on the five-factor model of personality (Costa and McCrae, 1992). Many of the studies which have explored the relation between personality and information seeking were done before this model was introduced. In many instances there has additionally been only one single study that has explored the influence of a particular personality trait on information behavior in a specific context. As a consequence the studies which are accounted for in this book are not directly comparable. On the other hand, through more fine-grained exploration of specific facets of personality we might understand mechanisms, connections and discrepancies in more depth (Hyldegârd, 2009). For instance, regarding the overarching trait of negative affectivity, its distinct facets of anxiety, depression and aggression have been shown to influence information behavior in different ways (see Chapter 7). In addition, a trait and its possible influence on personality never exist in isolation. Every time we interact with information a whole range of situational, contextual and individual factors influence our actions and reactions. By understanding how personality traits influence information interaction, we move one step forward towards a holistic understanding of information behavior.

The whole is more than the sum of the parts

The influence of a person’s personality on any kind of behavior, such as information interaction, forms through the combined and sometimes complementary impacts of various traits. Some traits may for instance work together and strengthen an effect, or conflicting inclinations may neutralize each other’s impact. A strong personality characteristic may at times dominate and override other tendencies. This is for instance the case when a foremost conservative but conscientious person overcomes his/her cautious inclination and makes the effort to explore new, challenging documents. The final impact of personality on information seeking is thus dependent on the unique combination of traits which distinguishes each individual. Our whole being is in this way more than the sum of the parts.

Personality disposition is far from deterministic and human reactions can never be foreseen with certainty. There is a constant interplay between traits and other mechanisms which makes human behavior interesting and far from predictable. Investigating various traits and their influence on information behavior can thus give us only a hint of a relationship. The final influence will always depend on the character as a whole in interaction with a myriad of other psychological, social and contextual factors. We thus need to be cautious in drawing too bold conclusions. On the other hand, we should not be afraid to see a connection where it does exist. Thus with both caution and anticipation in mind it is time to move on to explore what research has shown us regarding the influence of personality traits on information interaction.

2

Personality

Personality has been defined as a ‘pattern of characteristic thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguishes one person from another and that persists over time and situation’ (Phares, 1991: 4).

Every one of us has his/her own unique pattern of feelings, thoughts and behavior. Some even claim that this distinctive medley of characteristics is as exclusive to the individual as are his/her fingerprints. It is of utmost importance for our sense of identity that our personality remains stable and consistent: we need to maintain a sense of who we are and how we distinguish ourselves from our fellow men. This does not mean that we are predictable and dependent, however. We are certainly no programmed robots destined for one reaction only. In any single situation, personality traits are in fact poor predictors of behavior. It is when we compare a person’s reactions across a wide range of contexts that we are likely to find similarities. Personality traits thus serve as indicators of likely patterns of behavior (McCrae and Costa, 2008). One way to explain this interplay between consistency and variation is to view personality as composed of traits of different depth and significance. The innermost core of personality remains the same throughout contexts, while the outermost layer is more situation-bound. It is important that people can adapt to circumstances of their lives by adjusting their reactions and showing flexibility. At the same time it is as imperative that we maintain a sense of identity and a solid inner core. The core personality will thus remain the same, although the way it is expressed and how much it influences behavior vary according to context. For instance, tiredness might be a factor that would influence behavior, and a tired person might accordingly behave in a way that is not like his/her true self (Cattell, 1950).

Why, then, do we need a personality in the first place? Why not all be exactly the same? Not only would this be a scary, extremely boring scenario, it would also be counterproductive to the optimal development of the human race. The explanation for the existence of personality may therefore lie in evolutionary development. According to this perspective, our personality traits have evolved from thoughts, feelings and behavior that proved to be beneficial for the relative survival and reproduction of our ancestors (Michalski and Shackelford, 2008). Across time and space there have been varying demands, so some traits have been advantageous under some circumstances while others were beneficial at other moments. As a result, complementary traits have developed so that the human species overall may benefit from the combination of traits that compensate for each other (Nettle, 2006). It is noteworthy that animals other than humans have been found to have a personality (Dingemanse and Réale, 2005).

Trait theory

In this book the discussion of personality will be based on the dispositional perspective, with a particular emphasis on the five-factor model (Costa and McCrae, 1992). According to this viewpoint, personality consists of physiologically based traits which guide our behavior. Traits can be described as tendencies to behave and react in a certain way (Phares, 1991: 254). States, on the other hand, are responses to situational cues – reactions which may be modified, strengthened or weakened by individual inclination. Persons with high negative affectivity are, for instance, more likely than calm and stable persons to feel anxious in