Patterns and sources of adult personality development: Growth curve analyses of the NEO PI-R scales in a longitudinal twin study.

Abstract

The present study examined the patterns and sources of 10-year stability and change of adult personality assessed by the 5 domains and 30 facets of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory. Phenotypic and biometric analyses were performed on data from 126 identical and 61 fraternal twins from the Bielefeld Longitudinal Study of Adult Twins (BiLSAT). Consistent with previous research, LGM analyses revealed significant mean-level changes in domains and facets suggesting maturation of personality. There were also substantial individual differences in the change trajectories of both domain and facet scales. Correlations between age and trait changes were modest and there were no significant associations between change and gender. Biometric extensions of growth curve models showed that 10-year stability and change of personality were influenced by both genetic as well as environmental factors. Regarding the etiology of change, the analyses uncovered a more complex picture than originally stated, as findings suggest noticeable differences between traits with respect to the magnitude of genetic and environmental effects.

Stability and change of personality across the life course: The impact of age and major life events on mean-level and rank-order stability of the Big Five.

“…However, when following individuals for several years, long-term changes have been found (e.g., Bleidorn, Kandler, Riemann, Angleitner, & Spinath, 2009;Roberts & DelVecchio, 2000;Roberts et al, 2006). Although the existence of changes in personality has been generally acknowledged, there is still debate concerning whether and where there is a point in life beyond which personality remains comparatively stable.…”

“…Accordingly, in the Five-Factor Theory of Personality (McCrae & Costa, 2008), developmental changes have been attributed to intrinsic maturation, meaning that -personality development is determined by biological maturation, not by life experience‖ (p. 167). However, Bleidorn et al (2009) showed in a longitudinal twin study that changes in personality can be substantially attributed to both genes and environment.…”

“…Most studies show an increase in Emotional Stability with increasing age (Bleidorn et al, 2009;Lucas & Donnellan, 2009;Lüdtke, Roberts, Trautwein, & Nagy, in press;Neyer & Asendorpf, 2001;Neyer & Lehnart, 2007;Roberts et al, 2006;Soto, John, Gosling, & Potter, 2011;Terracciano, McCrae, Brant, & Costa, 2005), an increase in Conscientiousness (Lucas & Donnellan, 2009;Lüdtke et al, in press;Neyer & Asendorpf, 2001;Neyer & Lehnart, 2007;Roberts et al, 2006;Soto et al, 2011) in some studies followed by a decrease in advanced old age (Terracciano et al, 2005), and stability or an increase in Agreeableness (Bleidorn et al, 2009;Lucas & Donnellan, 2009;Lüdtke et al, in press;Neyer & Asendorpf, 2001;Neyer & Lehnart, 2007;Roberts et al, 2006, Soto et al, 2011Terracciano et al, 2005). There have been mixed results for Extraversion, with the facet Social Vitality decreasing and the facet Social Dominance increasing with age (Roberts et al, 2006).…”

Personality traits and unemployment: Evidence from longitudinal data

“…Previous literature, going all the way back to Eisenberg and Lazarsfeld (1938), suggests that unemployment affects personal characteristics and mental health (e.g., Murphy & Athanasou, 1999). In the context of the Big Five, McCrae and Costa (2008) state that life events have very little effect on personality traits, while Bleidorn et al (2009) showed in a longitudinal twin study that changes in these traits can be substantially attributed to both genetic factors and environmental factors and Scollon and Diener (2006) indicated that an increased work satisfaction was connected to an increase in extraversion . If the changes in personality traits are solely caused by genes, reverse causality should not be a problem.…”

Epigenetic Modification of OXTR is Associated with Openness to Experience

“…There is evidence that both Openness to Experience and DNA methylation are dynamic. For example, out of the Big-5 personality traits, Openness to Experience tends to be the most dynamic (Bleidorn, Kandler, Riemann, Angleitner, & Spinath, 2009), and tends to reduce with age (Gregory, Nettelbeck, & Wilson, 2010). In addition, mindfulness-based training (van den Hurk et al, 2011), as well as psilocybin intake (MacLean, Johnson, & Griffiths, 2011) are associated with increased Openness to Experience.…”