A Study on the Influence of Personal Characteristics on College Students' Leadership

This study, grounded in positive psychology and leadership development theory, aims to systematically explore the influence mechanism of personal characteristics on college students' leadership, with a particular focus on examining the mediating role of psychological resilience. By examining three categories of personal characteristic variables—emotional intelligence, personality traits, and cognitive abilities—a theoretical model of “personal characteristics—psychological resilience—leadership” is constructed to reveal its underlying pathways. A questionnaire survey yielded 109 responses, with 100 valid data sets. SPSS 27.0 was employed for data analysis. Research findings indicate that emotional intelligence, personality traits, and cognitive abilities all exert significant positive predictive effects on college students' leadership. Psychological resilience partially mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership, while fully mediating the relationship between conscientiousness personality and leadership. This study theoretically clarifies the underlying psychological mechanisms through which personal characteristics influence leadership, highlights the importance of psychological resilience as a key mediating variable, and particularly clarifies its full mediating effect on the relationship between conscientiousness and leadership. It provides a new interpretive perspective for research on college student leadership. At the practical level, the study recommends that universities prioritize the cultivation of psychological resilience within their leadership development frameworks. This can be achieved through systematic approaches such as stress management training, crisis simulation exercises, and resilience-focused courses and counseling. Such initiatives will enhance students' psychological adaptability and recovery capabilities, thereby more effectively fostering their leadership growth.