Stability and change in personality across time and non-normative life events

Abstract

In recent years several studies have shown that personality changes across the life cycle. For example, in the context of the five-factor model, some studies have reported age-related decreases in Neuroticism and age-related increases in Agreeableness from early adulthood to old age (e.g., Roberts, Walton & Viechtbauer, 2006; Soto, John, Gosling & Potter, 2011; Srivastava, John, Gosling & Potter, 2003). The current symposium focuses on personality changes through different life stages and in response to non-normative life events. The first study reports on development of personality in adolescence. The second contribution focuses on the developmental trajectories of externalising conduct problems in childhood and adolescence. The third paper reveals how individuals’ belief in their ability to change and develop had an adaptive role in managing symptoms of distress in traumatic situations. Finally, the fourth contribution shows how social desirability and acquiescence affect the age-personality relationship.