The development of the rank-order stability of the Big Five across the life span.

Abstract

Several studies have suggested that the rank-order stability of personality increases until midlife and declines later in old age. However, this inverted U-shaped pattern has not consistently emerged in previous research; in particular, a recent investigation implementing several methodological advances failed to support it. To resolve the matter, we analyzed data from two representative panel studies and investigated how certain methodological decisions affect conclusions regarding the age trajectories of stability. The data came from Australia (N = 15,465; Study 1) and Germany (N = 21,777; Study 2), and each study included four waves of personality assessment. We investigated the life span development of the rank-order stability of the Big Five for 4-, 8-, and 12-year intervals. Whereas Study 1 provided strong evidence for an inverted U-shape with rank-order stability declining past age 50, Study 2 provided more mixed results that nonetheless generally supported the inverted U-shape. This developmental trend held for single personality traits as well as for the overall pattern across traits; and it held for all three retest intervals-both descriptively and in formal tests. Additionally, we found evidence that health-related changes accounted for the decline in rank-order stability in older age. This suggests that if analyses are implicitly conditioned on health (e.g., by excluding participants with missing data on later waves), the decline in stability in old age will be underestimated or even missed. Our results provide further evidence for the inverted U-shaped age pattern in personality stability development but also extend knowledge about the underlying processes.

Using within-person change in three large panel studies to estimate personality age trajectories.

“…Issues such as selective dropout and panel conditioning effects are additional sources of bias. For example, researchers should avoid excluding individuals with incomplete longitudinal data, as this might lead to an overly healthy sample (Seifert et al, 2022), which in turn means that average age trajectories of personality will be biased because changes in health are correlated with changes in personality (which might particularly be an issue for older age groups; Kornadt et al, 2018;Luo et al, 2022;Mueller et al, 2018). This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

The transition to grandparenthood: No consistent evidence for change in the Big Five personality traits and life satisfaction

“…Regarding the Big Five’s general age trajectories of rank-order stability, support for inverted U-shape trajectories was recently strengthened in a study of two panel data sets (Seifert et al, 2021). This study also explored that health deterioration accounted for parts of the decline of personality stability in old age.…”

“…Although a majority of personality development takes place in adolescence and emerging adulthood (Bleidorn & Schwaba, 2017;Pusch et al, 2019;, personality traits also change in middle and older adulthood (e.g., Allemand et al, 2008;Damian et al, 2019;Kandler et al, 2015;Lucas & Donnellan, 2011;Mõttus et al, 2012;S. Mueller et al, 2016;Seifert et al, 2021;; for a review, see Specht, 2017).…”

“…Research embedded in this perspective has found personality traits to be subject to change across the entire life span (Costa et al, 2019; Graham et al, 2020; Specht, 2017; Specht et al, 2014; for recent reviews, see Bleidorn et al, 2021; Roberts & Yoon, 2021). Although a majority of personality development takes place in adolescence and emerging adulthood (Bleidorn & Schwaba, 2017; Pusch et al, 2019; Schwaba & Bleidorn, 2018), personality traits also change in middle and older adulthood (e.g., Allemand et al, 2008; Damian et al, 2019; Kandler et al, 2015; Lucas & Donnellan, 2011; Mõttus et al, 2012; Mueller et al, 2016; Seifert et al, 2021; Wagner et al, 2016; for a review, see Specht, 2017).…”

“…In terms of rank-order stability, most prior studies have shown support for an inverted U-shape trajectory (Ardelt, 2000; Lucas & Donnellan, 2011; Seifert et al, 2021; Specht et al, 2011; Wortman et al, 2012): Rank-order stability rises until it reaches a plateau in midlife, and decreases in old age. However, evidence is mixed on whether rank-order stability decreases again in old age (see Costa et al, 2019; Wagner et al, 2019).…”