The Role of Personality in Occupational Commitment: A Correlation Study among Mental Health Professionals

The occupational commitment, a positive feeling toward the occupation, is a most important criterion for professional success. The mental health professionals succeed when they strongly identify themselves and have a positive feeling toward the profession. However personality often plays an important role in the success of the individual's personal and professional life. Is personality has something to do with the level of occupational commitment and is there any predominant personality trait is prevalent among the mental health professional?

To determine the influence of personality on occupational commitment and predominant personality trait in mental health professionals.

The sample (n = 33) consisted mental health professionals, Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Psychiatric Social Workers, practicing in and around Coimbatore. The mean age of the sample was 38. After obtaining the consent and personal data, they were administered with Occupational Commitment Questionnaire and Big Five Personality Inventory to assess their level of occupational commitment and predominant personality trait respectively.

The majority of (93. 93%) the mental health professionals found to have an affective occupational commitment toward their profession. It was evident that the personality (r = 0. 67**) has a strong influence on, especially the “Agreeableness” trait (r = 0. 62**), occupational commitment in mental health professionals. The results indicated that the predominant personality trait in the mental health professional was Agreeableness (48. 5%) followed by Openness to experience (30. 3%).

There is a strong relationship between the personality and occupational commitment. The Agreeableness and Openness to experience are predominant personality traits in mental health professionals.