Personality stability from age 14 to age 77 years

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Personality trait differences exhibit varying stability over extended periods.
• Longitudinal studies are crucial for understanding personality development and change across the lifespan.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the long-term stability of personality characteristics from childhood to older age.
• To examine the persistence of specific personality traits over a 63-year interval.
• To identify factors influencing personality stability across developmental stages.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Scottish Mental Survey, 1947, tracking participants from age 14 to 77.
• Collected teacher ratings of personality at age 14 and self/informant ratings at age 77 for 174 participants.
• Employed statistical modeling, including controlling for rater effects, to assess personality stability.

Main Results:

• Overall, minimal significant stability was found for most personality characteristics and the underlying factor of dependability over 63 years.
• A complex model controlling for rater effects revealed significant long-term stability for 'Stability of Moods'.
• Near-significant stability was observed for 'Conscientiousness', suggesting some enduring personality aspects.

Conclusions:

• Lifelong differential stability of personality traits is generally low.
• Certain personality aspects, such as Stability of Moods, may demonstrate considerable persistence from childhood into older age.
• Findings suggest that while overall personality stability is limited, specific traits can show remarkable long-term continuity.