PERSONALITY TRAITS AND SELF-ESTEEM AS PREDICTORS OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper examined the influence of personality traits and self-esteem on antisocial behaviour among secondary school adolescents in Abuja, Nigeria. The study was anchored on Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977), which emphasizes the interaction between personal dispositions and environmental reinforcement in shaping behaviour. The paper adopted a survey research design, with a total population of 4,270 students drawn from four selected secondary schools within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). Using Yamane’s (1967) sample size determination formula, a sample of 366 respondents was selected through a multistage samplingtechnique. Data were collected using standardized instruments: the Big Five Inventory (John et al., 1991), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), and Deviant Behaviour Scale (Sanches et al., 2012). Data analysis was performed using simple and multiple regression analyses via SPSS. The results revealed that personality traits jointly accounted for 82.4% (R² = .824) of the variance in antisocial behaviour, with openness to experience (β = .659, p < .001) and neuroticism (β = .568, p < .001) emerging as the strongest predictors. Conversely, self-esteem had no significant influence on antisocial behaviour (β = –.061, p = .257, R² = .004). The findings highlight that emotional instability and impulsivity are major drivers of antisocial conduct, while self-perception plays a minimal role. The study concludes that antisocial behaviour arises from the interplay between personality predispositions and social learning processes. It recommends that school-based interventions should focus on emotional regulation, personality development, and peer influence management to curb antisocial tendencies among adolescents in Nigeria.