СЕНЗИТИВНОСТА НА ПРОЦЕСИРАЊЕ НА СЕНЗОРНИ ДРАЗБИ И МОДЕЛОТ НА ГОЛЕМИТЕ ПЕТ КАЈ СТУДЕНТИTE

Abstract

Sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) is a hereditary personality trait which manifests
itself in the way in which the central nervous system is processing external and internal
sensory information. This character trait refers to the level of sensitivity that an individual
manifests because of different stimuli, his/her emotional, cognitive and behavioral
reactions, as well as the deep cognitive processing of stimuli and empathic behavior. The
individuals with a high level of SPS trait are considered to have high sensitivity or are
highly sensitive person (HSP). The author Elaine Aron who has been researching this character
trait, is using both terms interchangeably - Sensory processing sensitivity and highly
sensitive person.
The research is examining the connection between highly sensitive person (HSP) and
personality traits within The Big Five Model: extraversion, neuroticism, openness to experiences,
agreeableness, and conscientiousness. The sample consists of 204 participants,
students form all four years at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, of which 124 females
and 80 males. For researching the variables, the following instruments have been used:
Highly sensitive person scale and Big Five Inventory. The research results show that HSP
in positively correlated with neuroticism, extroversion, and openness to experiences.
Even though some previous studies have shown statistically significant correlation between
HSP and the agreeableness trait, this research has not produced statistically significant
correlation between these two variables, neither a correlation between HSP and
consciousness trait. When analyzing the differences in relation to HSP, it was shown that
women are more sensitive than men.
These findings have relevant implications for the understanding of relationship between
sensory processing sensitivity and personality among students. Hence, it is suggested
to extend the study to a more heterogeneous sample.