Longitudinal stability in dispositional awe during emerging adulthood: A trait-state-occasion model

Abstract

Although dispositional awe, the tendency to feel awe in daily life, has been regarded as a stable trait-like construct, surprisingly few studies have examined its longitudinal stability. This study aimed to investigate the long-term stability in dispositional awe during emerging adulthood via a trait-state-occasion model. We conducted a longitudinal survey at four timepoints with four-month intervals in a Japanese sample ( N = 237; mean age at Time 1 = 25.43 years , sd = 3.17, range : 18–29 years , 169 women). Results from the trait-state-occasion model revealed that 70%–79% and 22%–28% of the variance in dispositional awe were accounted for by the stable trait and occasion-residual factors, respectively. This suggested that dispositional awe might be a stable trait, such as the Big Five personality traits. Our study has both theoretical and methodological contributions to research on awe as we provide empirical evidence for conceptualizing awe proneness as a stable trait.