The influence of the Big Five personality traits on daily internal and external aggression tendencies: a dual-pathway mechanism from the perspective of social comparison theory—a diary study

Personality traits are key factors influencing both internal and external aggression. Based on the General Aggression Model, this study used a 10-day diary method to track 190 college students and examine how the Big Five personality traits affect daily internal and external aggression, while clarifying the dual-path mechanism of benign and malicious envy from the perspective of Social Comparison Theory. The results showed that conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness significantly and negatively predicted daily aggression. Meanwhile, malicious envy played a significant mediating role between conscientiousness, openness, and internal/external aggression, whereas benign envy showed no significant mediation. Integrating aggression and social comparison theories, this study proposed a "Dual-Drive Model of Personality, Aggression, and Social Comparison," revealing how social comparison influences the effects of personality on aggression.