Personality Development in Adulthood
Author Information
Author(s): Christopher Beam, Emily Schoenhofen
Primary Institution: University of Southern California, Yale Medicine
Hypothesis
Does the corresponsive principle or the niche-picking principle better explain personality development across adulthood?
Conclusion
Niche-picking provides a better explanation for personality development in adulthood, but its overall role is low compared to genetic and environmental factors.
Supporting Evidence
- The corresponsive principle and niche-picking principle explain personality development.
- Niche-picking better describes personality development in adulthood.
- Twins maintain their rank-order stability in personality traits over time.
Takeaway
As people grow older, their personalities are influenced more by their environments than by their traits, but genetics still play a big role.
Methodology
Longitudinal study using twins from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging and multilevel structural equation modeling.
Limitations
The study primarily focuses on twins, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Twins from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging, aged 36 to 91.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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