Do we become a different person when hitting the road? Personality development of sojourners.

Abstract

International mobility is a prevalent life event that particularly affects university students. The aim of this longitudinal study was twofold: First, we examined the impact of international mobility on personality (Big Five) change, separating self-selection effects from socialization processes. Second, we extended prior analyses on the association between life events and personality development by investigating the mechanisms that account for socialization processes. In particular, we assessed whether individual differences in the fluctuation of support relationships serve as an explanatory link. We used a prospective control group design with 3 measurement occasions. A sample of university students, containing both short-term (i.e., 1 semester) and long-term (i.e., 1 academic year) sojourners (N = 527) along with control students (N = 607), was tracked over the course of an academic year. Multivariate latent models revealed 3 main findings: First, initial (pre-departure) levels of Extraversion and Conscientiousness predicted short-term sojourning, and Extraversion and Openness predicted long-term sojourning. Second, both forms of sojourning were associated with increases in Openness and Agreeableness and a decrease in Neuroticism above and beyond the observed self-selection. Third, the acquisition of new international support relationships largely accounted for the sojourn effects on personality change. These findings help to fill the missing link between life events and personality development by establishing social relationship fluctuation as an important mediating mechanism.

Personality changes after the ‘year abroad’?

“…The former approach asserts that the Big Five personality traits (McCrae, 2004) are not subject to complete alterations in all five traits. Yet, individuals have been found to become more agreeable, conscientious, and emotionally stable during the passage from adolescence to adulthood, which is also a genetically confirmed finding through the study of twins (Roberts et al, 2005;Zimmermann & Neyer, 2013). Conversely, individual deviations from such trajectories have been documented in the research, thus contradicting the hereditability of personality traits (Roberts et al, 2005).…”

“…Social investments (e.g., work, study, marriage, family, social roles) are found to relate to increased scores on personality measures of "social dominance, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability and to increases in these dimensions over time" (Roberts et al, 2005, p. 174). Also referred to as life events in the literature, the SIP accounts for individual differences in personality development, which can be related to individuals' "self-selection" of change rather than a biogenetic determinism (Zimmermann & Neyer, 2013). One example of a life event that has the potential to impact on personality development is residence abroad.…”

“…In a related study, Zimmermann and Neyer (2013) utilized the Big Five questionnaire and social relationships measures to investigate whether any of the five factors predicted students' decisions to study abroad, whether any changes in personality could be detected after study abroad, and whether differences in support relationships could help explain personality development. Two groups of university students were investigated: those who studied abroad either for short or long terms, and those who remained at home.…”

Places and Traces of Personality

“…In particular, we explore the conditions that bring geographical mobility into effect as a moderator or mediator of person-environment associations within or between macro levels and individual levels of analysis. As previous research has paid scant attention to concurrent effects of personality traits and residential mobility experiences on proximal environmental characteristics, we complement our theoretical considerations with an empirical example from our own longitudinal research project PEDES-Personality Development of Sojourners (see Zimmermann & Neyer, 2013). With this example, we are able to show that, indeed, personality traits determine individuals' proximal social environment in terms of social relationship fluctuation and that these personality effects are, in part, due to individuals' self-selection in international mobility experiences.…”

The Second Dividend of Studying Abroad: The Impact of International Student Mobility on Academic Performance

“…Students who went abroad for part of their university education report to be more independent, approachable and agreeable than before their stay. Furthermore, they are more open to foreign cultures and ways of working (Clarke et al, 2009;DAAD and HIS, 2013;Zimmermann and Neyer, 2013).…”