Personality Trait Development Across the Transition to Retirement

Abstract

In this study, we examined trajectories of Big Five personality development in the five years before and after retirement. Our sample was composed of 690 retirees (ages 51-81) and a propensity-score matched comparison group of 532 non-retirees drawn from a nationally representative longitudinal study of the Netherlands. Participants contributed data across a maximum of six measurement waves over a period of seven years. In the month after retirement, participants experienced sudden increases in openness and agreeableness followed by gradual declines in these traits over the next five years. Emotional stability increased before and after retirement. The transition to retirement was not associated with changes in conscientiousness or extraversion. Further, we found significant individual differences in development across the transition to retirement for each personality trait but could not identify any moderators that accounted for these individual differences. These results contribute to our understanding of personality development in older adulthood as well as the temporal dynamics of personality change in response to major life events. A vast number of theories have been put forth to explain how these life events affect lifespan personality development (e.g.

Age differences in Machiavellianism across the life span: Evidence from a large‐scale cross‐sectional study

“…In the current study, we found an accelerated downward trend in Machiavellianism from ages 55 to 60, little change until age 65, and a sudden, pronounced upward trend after that for the last two life year cohorts in our sample. The reverse was observed for Agreeableness and—to a lesser degree—Conscientiousness, replicating prior research (Kandler, Konradt, Hagemeyer, & Neyer, 2015; Lucas & Donnellan, 2011; Schwaba & Bleidorn, 2019). This pattern of mean level decreases in traits that reflect social maturity has also been referred to as a reversal of personality maturation (Bleidorn & Hopwood, 2019).…”

“…Lastly, we tested measurement invariance across age brackets. Mirroring prior research (Grosz et al, 2017; Lucas & Donnellan, 2011; Schwaba & Bleidorn, 2017, 2019; Soto, 2016), under strict model conditions, we found support for configural (CFI = .985) and metric (ΔCFI = .002) invariance, but not scalar invariance (ΔCFI = .056). Based on modification indices (Hirschfeld & von Brachel, 2014), the intercepts of 1 (“I tend to manipulate others to get my way.”) and Item 3 (“I have used flattery to get my way.” ) were freed.…”

“…We restricted this analysis to participants who were at least 18 years old, as minors generally do not have a regular income. We further restricted the analysis to participants who were up to 65 years old, as a marker for retirement age (Costa et al, 2019; Schwaba & Bleidorn, 2019). Again, we found evidence for strong measurement invariance based on configural (CFI = .984), metric (ΔCFI = .000), and scalar (ΔCFI = .010) invariance.…”

“…While these perspectives hence imply a lasting change in personality which, if anything, would only become more pronounced as people grow older, life event perspectives would argue that the observed drastic changes in Machiavellianism right before and after age 65 may actually be of temporary nature. For instance, on the one hand, the set‐point hypothesis (Ormel, Von Korff, Jeronimus, & Riese, 2017; Schwaba & Bleidorn, 2019) might propose that the all‐time low in Machiavellianism at age 65 could in fact be an outlier which reflects the initial excitement that comes with the freedom of retirement. Accordingly, once this excitement wears off, retirees return to the levels of Machiavellianism that they had before they retired.…”

Health Adversity and Value Change

“…We have used LISS data in previous studies Denissen, Luhmann, Chung, & Bleidorn, 2018;Schwaba & Bleidorn, 2019;Schwaba, Luhmann, Chung, Denissen, & Bleidorn, 2018) to examine the development of personality traits and self-esteem over the life span and in response to major life events. None of these studies have analyzed changes in value orientation following health adversity (http://dataarchive.lissdata.nl/publications).…”