Personality changes in the aged. A longitudinal study with the MNT-scale

The three personality dimensions validity, solidity and stability according to Sjöbring were measured by means of the MNT scales in representative samples of 70-year-old men and women in Gothenburg, Sweden. They were followed up when 75 and 79. A longitudinal study was performed with regard to changes in means, standard deviations and sex differences. The means at 70 of the surviving subjects were compared with those of subjects who had died before the age of 79. The personality dimensions were, on the whole, unchanged between 70 and 79 except for a small increase in stability in men, implying a decrease in personal involvement, and a small decrease in validity in women implying lower levels of mental energy. There was also a decrease in solidity in men between 75 and 79 implying an increased tendency to dissociation. Variability and sex differences did not change. Men with low validity at 70 had an increased mortality. Cross-sectional studies would have given misleading results of the personality development in these age groups.