Maladaptive Daydreaming and Big Five Personality Traits Among Emerging Adults

Abstract

Maladaptive daydreaming is a psychological tendency to be immersed in vivid and elaborative daydreams which has a significant impact on the many aspects of an individual’s life. Previous research show that maladaptive daydreaming is linked to other distressing psychological states such as stress, reduced life satisfaction etc. As maladaptive daydreaming is being considered as a tendency that may require mental health care, understanding how an individual’s personality is linked to this phenomenon is very important. The present study explores the relationship between maladaptive daydreaming and big five personality traits among emerging adults. The study follows a correlational research design and used the maladaptive daydreaming scale (MDS-SF5) and Big Five personality inventory (BFI-10) to collect the data. The results showed a significant relationship between maladaptive daydreaming and the traits of openness to new experience and agreeableness. This result suggests the further possibility of considering other factors and variables that could affect maladaptive daydreaming among the emerging adults’ population.