Personality Trait Change in Adulthood
Open accessAbstract
Recent longitudinal and cross-sectional aging research has shown that personality traits continue to change in adulthood. In this article, we review the evidence for mean-level change in personality traits, as well as for individual differences in change across the life span. In terms of mean-level change, people show increased self-confidence, warmth, self-control, and emotional stability with age. These changes predominate in young adulthood (age 20–40). Moreover, mean-level change in personality traits occurs in middle and old age, showing that personality traits can change at any age. In terms of individual differences in personality change, people demonstrate unique patterns of development at all stages of the life course, and these patterns appear to be the result of specific life experiences that pertain to a person's stage of life.
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The majority of people experience medium-sized to large changes in their Big Five personality traits as they traverse adulthood.
“In addition, the majority of people experience medium-sized to large changes in their Big Five personality traits (agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and openness; Table 1) as they traverse adulthood”
From Life Events and Personality Trait Change. (2018) · cites this paper as Roberts & Mroczek, 2008
Mounting evidence suggests that the personality-as-plaster view is not correct.
“mounting evidence suggests that the personality-as-plaster view is not correct (Roberts, Walton and Viechtbauer [2006], Roberts and Mroczek [2008]).”
From Personality Psychology and Economics (2011) · cites this paper as Roberts and Mroczek [2008]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Roberts, B. W., & Mroczek, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Corresponding author
- Roberts, Brent W.
- Venue
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2008-02
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 31-35
- ISSN
- 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8721
- PMC
- PMC2743415
- OpenAlex
- W2143117643
- Cited by
- 1,222
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 40 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 80 · 2023: 73 · 2022: 99 · 2021: 115 · 2020: 142 · 2019: 58 · 2018: 81 · 2017: 81 · 2016: 62 · 2015: 67 · 2014: 59 · 2013: 56 · 2012: 53
- FWCI
- 36.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG018436, R01AG021178)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Keywords
- personality trait change, aging, personality development, self-confidence, emotional stability, self-control, warmth, individual differences, life course, middle-aged and older adults, early adulthood
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