Changing personality traits: Some considerations from psychotherapy process-outcome research for intervention efforts on intentional personality change.

Abstract

There is a recent debate in the field of personality development whether and how personality traits can be modified or changed over short periods of time. Whereas traditional positions highlight the relative stability of personality traits in adulthood, recent research investigates intentional personality trait change, that is, desires and attempts to change personality traits. The main goal of the present article is to connect recent activities and intervention efforts in personality psychology with psychotherapy process-outcome research. More specifically, we argue that 4 empirically derived common change factors in psychotherapy research might provide some useful heuristic principles for personality change interventions in normal population that do not particularly suffer from personality disorders. We discuss the implications of the use of these principles to change personality traits and suggest some ideas for future research and practice. There is a recent debate in the field of personality development whether and how personality traits can be modified or changed over short periods of time. Whereas traditional positions highlight the relative stability of personality traits in adulthood, recent research investigates intentional personality trait change, that is, desires and attempts to change personality traits. The main goal of the present paper is to connect recent activities and intervention efforts in personality psychology with psychotherapy process-outcome research. More specifically, we argue that four empirically derived common change factors in psychotherapy research might provide some useful heuristic principles for personality change interventions in normal population that do not particularly suffer from personality disorders. We discuss the implications of the use of these principles to change personality traits and suggest some ideas for future research and practice.

Becoming More Conscientious or More Open to Experience? Effects of a Two-Week Smartphone-Based Intervention for Personality Change

“…Intended personality change refers to active and self-regulated efforts to change personality in the desired direction that is guided by intentions and goals for change (Allemand & Flückiger, 2017;Hudson & Fraley, 2017). Personality change in a desired direction includes being aware of a gap between the actual and desired personality, setting goals to change personality, and actively seeking opportunities to close this gap.…”

“…These designs allow for the possibility to test potential selection effects, as it is possible that people want to increase on those traits which they perceive as too low and decrease on traits they perceive as too high (Hudson & Roberts, 2014). Moreover, interventions for personality change may target different levels of personality because personality traits are thought to have a hierarchical structure and can be ordered from broad to narrow (Allemand & Flückiger, 2017;Roberts, Lejuez, Krueger, Richards, & Hill, 2014). It is generally assumed that focusing on lower levels of a trait domain makes for a more effective strategy (Roberts, Hill, & Davis, 2017) which is one reason we decided to target facets of the Big Five domains of conscientiousness and openness.…”

Treatment of personality pathology through the lens of the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology: Developing a research agenda

“…8 Utilizing a technique-driven approach consistent with the direction research is moving in personalized medicine 42 and in psychotherapy research. 43,44 Hopwood 8 provides a comprehensive review of the common and specific factors specific to personality pathology in the psychotherapy research literature. The current paper sets out to discuss the broad implications of HiTOP factors within psychotherapy.…”

“…High internalizing High internalizing Cognitive processing 33,34 Analysing transference 38,41 Cognitive restructuring 5 Clarification 41 Mentalizing 35,36 Emotional expression 42 Mindfulness 37 Mirroring 38 SSRI 39 TCA 39 Unified protocol 40 Low internalizing Facial emotion recognition 43 Family psychoeducation on emotion reactivity 44…”

“…30 Facial emotion recognition training A cognitive bias modification technique used to modify the cognitive biases characteristic within psychopathology. 43…”