A Proposed Casual Model for The Relationship Between Selfie-Obsession and Personality Patterns Besides Their Effects on Social Media Users Regarding Social Interaction

Abstract

The current study aimed to identify the proposed causal model for the relationship between Selfie obsession and personality patterns and their effect on social interaction among users of social media applications. The sample consisted of 362 social media users. The study utilized three scales: the Selfie Obsession Scale, the Personality Traits Scale, and the Social Interaction Scale.
Personality traits showed an overall balance, with the sensory/intuitive trait scoring the highest mean (2.44), followed by thinker/feeler (2.39), judger/perceiver (2.31), and extrovert/introvert (2.15). In selfie obsession, prominence ranked highest (3.68), followed by self-esteem (3.23), mood enhancement (3.03), and attention-seeking as the lowest (2.99). Social interaction recorded a high level (2.61). Statistically significant differences were found in the sensory/intuitive trait across disciplines, with religious and Arabic studies students scoring the highest (2.57), and applied sciences students scoring the lowest (2.35). Differences also appeared in the thinker/feeler trait by age, where the 21–23 age group (2.47) scored higher than older participants. No differences in selfie obsession were found by discipline or gender, but the 18–20 age group scored highest in mood enhancement and attention-seeking. Social interaction was highest among health sciences students (2.79) compared to applied sciences (2.45), with no significant differences by gender or age. Selfie obsession and personality traits explained 32.8% of social interaction (R²=0.328). Social interaction mediated the relationship between independent variables (prominence, self-esteem, mood enhancement, attention-seeking) and dependent variables (four personality traits). Prominence (0.60) and extrovert/introvert (0.48) had the most direct impact.