臺大管理論叢 NTU Management Review VOL.29 NO.3

203 NTU Management Review Vol. 29 No. 3 Dec. 2019 8. Women’s Personality Traits, Glass Ceiling Beliefs and Subjective Career Success The theory of optimism and pessimism has been extensively studied in the personality literature (Boland and Cappeliez, 1997; Marshall, Wortman, Kusulas, Hervig, and Vickers Jr, 1992; Williams, 1992). The construct of optimism has often been linked to high extroversion/positive emotionality and low neuroticism (Boland and Cappeliez, 1997; Marshall et al., 1992). However, past research has also found a correlation between other Big Five personality traits and optimism (Lounsbury, Saudargas, and Gibson, 2004; Milligan, 2003). For instance, Milligan (2003) finds positive correlations between optimism and extroversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Similarly, other scholars find positive correlations between optimism and extroversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability (Lounsbury et al., 2004; Sharpe, Martin, and Roth, 2011). There is a consensus among scholars that personality traits can lead to optimism and pessimism (Boland and Cappeliez, 1997; Marshall et al., 1992; Milligan, 2003). As stated earlier, Smith, Crittenden, et al. (2012) identify women’s glass ceiling beliefs as either optimistic or pessimistic. Based on the abovementioned literature, we argue that women’s personality traits can lead to optimistic and pessimistic glass ceiling beliefs. Additionally, people usually perform and react according to their personality and beliefs in different situations (Bandura, 1977). The personality and beliefs of people determine their attitude toward something (Beck, 1976). Optimistic and pessimistic beliefs play a critical role in the formation of both optimistic and pessimistic behavior in organizations (Salkovskis, Clark, and Hackmann, 1991). For instance, Smith, Caputi, et al. (2012) find that the optimistic and pessimistic beliefs of women are related to their career success. Therefore, based on the theory of optimism and pessimism, and according to the literature review on the relationship between personality traits, glass ceiling beliefs, and career success, we propose that women’s glass ceiling beliefs are likely to mediate the relationship between personality traits and the subjective career success of women. Extroversion is the most prominent factor in the psychology of the individual (Judge et al., 1999). Extroversion is a leadership quality, and people who possess this personality trait also experience positive feelings (Watson and Clark, 1997). Extroverts are more likely to be dominant and ambitious and are more likely to choose the path of ambition and dominance compared to introverted people (Watson and Clark, 1997). Moreover,