Understanding the Relationship Between the Big Five Personality Traits and the Cognitive Appraisals Leading to Emotions: An Integrative Narrative Review

Abstract

In the Component Process Model (CPM), emotion is defined as a rapid psychological process whose emergence relies on appraisals (i.e., cognitive evaluations) of the environment. Personality encompasses many affective components and traits thought to shape specific appraisals, which in turn drive subsequent emotional outcomes. Despite the relevance of this relationship, it has mostly been studied within stress research. Therefore, this article aims at: (1) synthesizing prior research on the relationship between personality and appraisal, using the Big Five personality trait taxonomy as an integrative model and the alternative appraisal tradition of the CPM, and (2) providing an explanatory perspective on the nature of such relationships. The importance of understanding the mechanism linking individual differences and emotion responses is discussed.