Personality Effects on Social Event Experiences in Hospitality and Business Students
Open Access
Author:
Wohlfahrt, Kara
Area of Honors:
Hospitality Management
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Michael J Tews, Jr., Thesis Supervisor Phillip Michael Jolly, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
personality introversion extraversion hospitality social events
Abstract:
As society progresses to adapt workplace settings, new and creative outlets such as fun in the workplace are increasingly common. Researchers have begun to study this trend and what fun in the workplace entails, as well as who it affects. Similarly, personality has been studied for decades for various purposes, including how humans react to certain stimuli and situations. This study combines these two concepts to observe how student personalities react towards fun activities in event settings. The present study offers the idea that social and professional events do not always appeal to both introverts and extraverts. Thus, the research within this paper works to determine if this idea is true, and if it is, helps to suggest how fun in the workplace may help with this issue. The study gathers information from a sample of university students studying business or management degrees. Using critical incident surveys from various students, it was found that introverts and extraverts do experience social settings differently, and significant differences include familiarity of other attendees, presence of fun activities, and feelings of anxiety or overwhelmingness. The study discusses various implications and suggestions for future research as this survey reflects significant data suggesting introvert struggles with social events.