Rank-Order Consistency of Personality Traits Over Time

Abstract

Research has shown that personality develops over time, generating changes and continuity in the pattern of functioning across the lifespan. We investigated the evidence of consistency in the ranking of personality traits over time. A group of 170 adults between the ages of 51 and 93 participated in the study (M = 69, SD = 9.05) and retrospectively answered the Big Five Inventory-2 and the Big Five Inventory. We performed test-retest correlation and the ANOVA procedure with repeated measures. We found that personality scores at 30-35 years of age are associated with the scores at age 70-80, indicating stability in the pattern of individual functioning in the long term. This research complements the few studies on personality development in Brazil.