Personality change in adulthood: loci of change and the role of interpersonal process

This study examined personality change in two domains--dispositional tendencies (emotion traits) and characteristic adaptations (views of self) over eight years in a sample of older adults (M = 63.4). Stability coefficients for anxiety, depression, interest, anger, anger-in, anger-out, and aggression ranged from .47 to .75; only anger-out showed significant change over the eight years. On the other hand, respondents reported moderate changes in perspectives, goals, personality, feelings, and ways of relating and the ratings of outside informants were significantly correlated with self-reports of change for all but goals. Personality change was associated with positive and negative interpersonal life events of an intimate nature such as marriage, divorce, and death of loved ones that took place over the past eight years, and was not associated with other high and low points in lives involving careers, changes in residence, and more distant social relationships.