Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Traits and States01:17

Traits and States

Personality traits represent consistent patterns in behavior, thoughts, and emotions, reflecting an individual's tendencies across various situations. For example, extraversion, a well-known trait, manifests in individuals as talkative, energetic, and enthusiastic behaviors. These traits are stable over time, offering a reliable framework for predicting how people might act in different contexts. However, they do not define every moment of an individual's life. In contrast to traits, states are...
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
Introduction to Personality Psychology01:29

Introduction to Personality Psychology

Personality encompasses a set of enduring traits and behavioral patterns that define how individuals think, feel, and interact, ultimately shaping their unique identities. The concept of personality has deep historical roots, deriving from the Latin term "persona," which means "mask." This term initially referred to the roles played by actors in ancient theater, signifying the different facets individuals display in various contexts.
Early Theories of Personality
The study of personality dates...
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood03:34

Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood01:27

Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood

Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development outlines a series of stages through which individuals progress across the lifespan. Each stage involves a psychosocial conflict that significantly influences personal growth and well-being. Three key stages — intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair — highlight the developmental challenges faced in adulthood.
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early adulthood, from the 20s...
Emerging Adulthood01:27

Emerging Adulthood

Jeffrey Arnett's concept of emerging adulthood offers a framework to understand the unique developmental stage between adolescence and full-fledged adulthood, generally from ages 18 to 25. This period is marked by extensive exploration and shifts in identity, relationships, and career choices, a process known in psychology as role experimentation. Emerging adulthood reflects the evolving cultural expectations surrounding adulthood and the dynamic process of personal transformation during this...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Growth following adversity is rare: Evidence from a multi-informant longitudinal study of children and adolescents.

Journal of research in personality·2026
Same author

Exploring individual differences in volitional personality state and trait change: The role of motivation and engagement during a 12-week intervention.

European journal of personality·2026
Same author

Personality change through a digital-coaching intervention: Using measurement invariance testing to distinguish between trait domain, facet, and nuance change.

European journal of personality·2026
Same author

Once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator? Examining stability, change, and long-term correlates of procrastination during young adulthood.

Journal of personality and social psychology·2026
Same author

Decline in Circadian Robustness in Lung Cancer Patients During Immunotherapy is Associated With Increased Risk of Disease Progression and Death.

Journal of biological rhythms·2025
Same author

Longitudinal investigation of sleep and circadian rest-activity rhythms in non-small cell lung cancer patients during immunotherapy and associations with fatigue, depression, and perceived stress.

Sleep medicine·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
07:30

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

Published on: August 18, 2020

Personality Trait Change in Adulthood.

Brent W Roberts1, Daniel Mroczek

  • 1University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Current Directions in Psychological Science
|September 28, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Personality traits evolve throughout adulthood, with increases in confidence and emotional stability common. Individual life experiences shape unique personality development patterns across the entire lifespan.

More Related Videos

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
07:30

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study

Published on: August 18, 2020

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance
09:01

A Method for Investigating Age-related Differences in the Functional Connectivity of Cognitive Control Networks Associated with Dimensional Change Card Sort Performance

Published on: May 7, 2014

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Aging research indicates personality traits are not fixed in adulthood.
  • Longitudinal and cross-sectional studies provide evidence for personality change over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence for mean-level changes in personality traits during adulthood.
  • To examine individual differences in personality change across the lifespan.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing longitudinal and cross-sectional aging research.
  • Analysis of studies examining personality trait development.

Main Results:

  • Significant mean-level personality changes occur, particularly in young adulthood (ages 20-40).
  • Increases in self-confidence, warmth, self-control, and emotional stability are observed with age.
  • Personality traits can change at any life stage, including middle and old age.
  • Individual development patterns vary, influenced by life experiences specific to one's life stage.

Conclusions:

  • Personality development is a continuous process throughout adulthood.
  • Life experiences play a crucial role in shaping individual personality trajectories.
  • Understanding personality change is vital across the entire human lifespan.