Relevance of personality traits to adjustment in group living situations

The study replicates and extends recent work on personality determinants of adjustment. Personality traits and adjustment criteria were selected for relevance to one type of real-life setting (public housing for the elderly that includes a senior center). Personality traits were measured by observer ratings; criteria, by self-report of respondents and perceptions of them by other residents and staff. In concurrent and longitudinal analyses controlling effects of competence and social status, personality traits accounted for significant and meaningful variance in all criteria, and the salience of particular traits varied across criteria. The results are consistent with earlier studies regarding the importance of extraversion and neuroticism to subjective well-being and suggest that they are relevant also to adjustment as perceived by others. The additional traits of congeniality, culture, and nosiness/gossip were related to both inner and outer adjustment measures in the type of situations studied.