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Personality stability in late adulthood: a behavioral genetic analysis.
Wendy Johnson1, Matt McGue, Robert F Krueger
1Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. john4350@tc.umn.edu
Journal of Personality
|March 5, 2005
Summary
Personality traits remain remarkably stable in older adults, with genetic factors playing a significant role in this enduring stability. Environmental influences also contribute to consistent personality over time.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Genetics
- Gerontology
Background:
- Personality stability is a key area of research in developmental psychology.
- Understanding the interplay of genetic and environmental factors is crucial for explaining individual differences in personality development.
- Longitudinal studies are essential for tracking personality changes and stability across the lifespan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability of personality traits in adulthood using a longitudinal twin study design.
- To examine the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences to personality stability over time.
- To assess the test-retest reliability and rank-order stability of personality measures in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 833 twin pairs from the Minnesota Twin Study of Adult Development and Aging.
- Administered the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) twice to participants, with an average retest interval of 5.0 years.
- Employed bivariate biometric analyses to estimate genetic and environmental correlations across the two testing waves.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated high stability in both the mean scores and rank order of personality traits from first to second testing (average r=.76).
- Found highly correlated genetic influences (range .95 to 1.00) and moderately correlated nonshared environmental influences (range .53 to .73) across the two time points.
- Biometric models with fixed genetic correlations and identical variance components showed improved fit, supporting strong genetic underpinnings of personality stability.
Conclusions:
- The high stability of personality in later adulthood is substantially supported by a strong genetic foundation.
- Consistent environmental effects also contribute significantly to the maintenance of personality traits over time.
- These findings underscore the enduring influence of both nature and nurture on personality continuity in aging individuals.