Personality trait stability and change

Abstract

Personality traits continue to change throughout the lifespan. However, we still know little about when, why, and how personality traits change. In this paper, we review the current state of scientific evidence regarding the nature, sources, and processes of personality trait stability and change. We revisit past disputes over the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences, discuss studies on life events and personality trait development, and summarize theory and research on personality change processes. In doing so, we derive general principles of personality trait development, highlight limitations of past research, and present the broad outlines for future research on personality trait development, with a particular emphasis on relevant methodological issues and conceptual challenges. Personality traits change in the direction of greater maturity. People differ in the rate, timing, and direction of personality trait change. Open questions remain about the specific sources and processes underlying personality trait change. Future directions include rigorous longitudinal studies of sources and processes methods in diverse samples. The power of personality traits in predicting consequential outcomes is well established. The recognized importance of personality has raised questions about their malleability: Given that traits predict important outcomes, can we shape or change them? Traditionally, traits have been conceptualized as static entities that are difficult or even impossible to change. For a long time, the view has led to a gridlock in research on personality change. However, there now is robust evidence that personality traits are dynamic characteristics that continue to change across the lifespan. Equipped with this evidence, we can now begin to address questions about the stability and malleability of personality traits. In this paper, we review research on the lifespan development of personality traits, highlight open questions, and present the outlines for a novel framework for studying personality development that aims to address the gaps identified in the literature, with a particular emphasis on relevant methodological complexities and conceptual challenges. In doing so, we argue that progress in this field will likely depend on more collaborative efforts of researchers who join resources and expertise to study personality change in large-scale longitudinal studies.