Stability and Change in Personality Traits and Major Life Goals From College to Midlife

Abstract

The association between personality traits and motivational units, such as life goals, has been a long-standing interest of personality scientists. However, little research has investigated the longitudinal associations between traits and life goals beyond young adulthood. In the present study ( N = 251), we examined the rank-order stability of, and mean-level changes in, the Big Five and major life goals (Aesthetic, Economic, Family/Relationship, Hedonistic, Political, Religious, Social) from college (age 18) to midlife (age 40), as well as their co-development. Findings showed that personality traits and major life goals were both moderately-to-highly stable over 20 years. On average, there were mean-level increases in the Big Five and mean-level decreases in life goals over time. Patterns of co-development suggest people formulate goals consistent with their personality traits, and conversely, investing in goal-relevant contexts is associated with trait change. We discuss the results in light of Social Investment Theory and the developmental regulation literature.

Self and identity in personality psychology

“…Hudson et al (2019) found that people can change their personality when they have the desire to change and actively pursue the goal of change. Similarly, Atherton et al (2021) found co-development of personality and life goals, concluding that individuals self-regulate by formulating goals that are consistent with their personality traits. Conversely, placing importance on cer tain goals promotes changes in corresponding traits, presumably because investing in goal-relevant contexts places rewards, punishments, and contingencies on certain traits.…”

Personality Psychology

“…We know far less about longitudinal changes in social and emotional skills. Measures of motivation, when assessed as the importance or salience of a goal show a very consistent pattern of no mean-level change or decreasing across the life course (Atherton, Grijalva, Roberts, & Robins, 2020;Stoll, Rieger, Nagengast, Trautwein, & Rounds, 2020). When measured as interests, the picture for motivation grows more complex, possibly as a result of having fewer long-term studies in adulthood.…”

“…To the extent that vocational interests are exemplary constructs in the motivation domain, we know that they are actually more consistent than personality traits at a younger age (Low et al, 2005) and show similarly high levels of consistency over decades (Nye, Willie, Amory, & De Fruyt, 2020;Schultz, Connolly, Garrison, Leveille, & Jackson, 2017). Though less often studied, other motivational constructs, such as major life goals (Atherton et al, 2020) and values (Dobewall & Aavik, 2016;Vecchione et al, 2016) are as consistent as personality traits over comparable time intervals. Skills, at least in terms of the traditional measures of cognitive ability, appear to be more consistent than any other domain in personality (Deary, Whiteman, Starr, Whalley, & Fox, 2004;Tucker-Drob & Briley, 2014) with estimates of consistency exceeding .80 for samples older than 20.…”

Age differences in broader autism phenotype traits from young adulthood to older adulthood

“…The accompanying shift toward interpersonal harmony and maturity is seen across a variety of traits that share some empirical overlap with the BAP (Lamport & Turner, 2014;Wainer et al, 2011). For example, people tend to become more agreeable, conscientious, empathetic, and secure in their relationships while also declining in neuroticism and social anxiety over time (Atherton et al, 2020;Oh et al, 2019). Such changes in prosocial traits and characteristics likely have implications for the BAP.…”