A New Twist on Old Questions: A Life Span Approach to the Trait Concept

Abstract

Objective: We examine three cardinal concerns in personality psychology from a life span perspective: trait structure, trait stability, and trait mechanisms that account for the predictive utility of traits. We draw on previously published and new findings from the Hawaii Longitudinal Study of Personality and Health, as well as work by others. Method:The Hawaii study provides a unique opportunity to relate a comprehensive assessment of participants' childhood personality traits (over 2,000 children, mean age 10 years) to their adult personality traits and other self-report outcomes in their 40s, 50s, and 60s, and their clinically assessed health at mean age 51. Results: Our analyses have demonstrated that the Big Five can be used to describe childhood personality in this cohort. The stability of the Big Five from childhood teacher assessments to adult self-or observer reports is modest and varies from Big Five trait to trait. Personality mechanisms of life span health behavior and life span trauma experience explain some of the influence of childhood Conscientiousness on adult health outcomes. Conclusions: A life span approach highlights the dynamic nature of traits and their long-term predictive utility, and it offers numerous directions for future research.

Pathways Linking Childhood Personality to Later Life Outcomes

“…For instance, conscientious children are more likely to be conscientious adults, and thus reap the benefits of this trait (for a review of outcomes, see Hill & Jackson, ). Accordingly, we use the terminology commonly used by personality psychologists, referring to these individual differences as traits or dispositions ; in so doing, we adhere to more contemporary definitions, which underscore both the continuity in personal characteristics across time and context and the potential dynamic nature of traits throughout life (Hampson & Edmonds, ; Roberts, ). As such, it is pertinent to consider alternative routes by which childhood personality influences lifespan development, routes that go beyond viewing this influence as simply an artifact of trait stability over time.…”

Status of the Trait Concept in Contemporary Personality Psychology: Are the Old Questions Still the Burning Questions?

“…It is reasonable to conclude from the findings summarized by Bleidorn et al (2018) and Hampson and Edmonds (2018) that the study of trait stability and change might benefit from new theorizing. Three articles in this special issue offer such fresh perspectives.…”

“…Some attempts to take into account both the structural and process aspects of traits are the most salient in four articles in this special issue. Hampson and Edmonds (2018), for example, propose instrumental (e.g., underlying Conscientiousness) and reactive mechanisms (e.g., underlying Neuroticism) in order to explain trait-outcome associations across the life span. Cognitive-adaptive theory (Matthews, 2018; see also Matthews, 2008) and the meaning approach to traits (Kreitler, 2018; see also Kreitler & Kreitler, 1990) identify trait patterning, however limited, as linked to the cognitive mechanisms.…”

“…The second question centers on the significance of traits for the functioning of individuals. Again, the study of functional aspects of personality traits is not a new trend (e.g., Eysenck, 1994;Hampson & Edmonds, 2018;Hampson & Friedman, 2008;Strelau, 2008). However, the influence of personality traits on functioning is less clear when we study it from the longitudinal perspective (Hampson & Edmonds, 2018).…”

“…Most of the articles make some contribution in regard to more than one of these problems, though usually emphasizing one or two of them (cf. Allik, 2018;Bleidorn, Hopwood, & Lucas, 2018;Hampson & Edmonds, 2018;Weiss, 2018). There are also attempts to provide comprehensive solutions to these problems (cf.…”