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Volitional Change in Pathological Traits: Can People Change Their Maladaptive Traits?

Sierra M Rufino1, Nathan W Hudson1, Julia L Briskin2

  • 1Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, USA.

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People with pathological personality traits desire to change them and can achieve reductions in some traits, like negative affectivity and disinhibition, through goal-setting.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Personality Science

Background:

  • Research indicates individuals can volitionally alter normative personality traits.
  • Volitional change in pathological personality traits remains understudied.
  • Understanding changeability in pathological traits is crucial for mental health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate desires for changing pathological personality traits.
  • To determine if change goals predict actual trait modification.
  • To examine if pathological trait change impacts relevant outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving 463 college students.
  • Weekly self-reporting of pathological personality traits over 16 weeks.
  • Statistical analyses to assess the predictive relationship between change goals and trait modification.

Main Results:

  • Individuals with elevated pathological traits generally expressed a desire for reduction.
  • Goals to change negative affectivity and disinhibition significantly predicted subsequent decreases in these traits.
  • The predictive effects of change goals on trait modification were observed even when controlling for normative traits.

Conclusions:

  • Individuals with pathological personality traits aspire to reduce them.
  • Volitional change is possible for certain pathological traits, particularly negative affectivity and disinhibition.
  • These findings support the potential for targeted interventions aimed at facilitating personality change in clinical populations.