Many previous studies have shown that self-reported personality traits are extremely stable in adults over a period of several years. Two new studies examined stability or change in self-reported personality over a 30-year span, and in peer-rated personality over a 7-year span. Data on a small group of BLSA men who had taken the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey on five occasions since 1960 demonstrated the long-term stability of personality traits, and individual profiles remained remarkably constant. Personality ratings made by friends and neighbors of BLSA participants showed that all five of the basic personality factors were perceived to be highly stable. Longitudinal research on personality, stress and coping will continue.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Intramural Research (Z01)
Project #
1Z01AG000180-05
Application #
3802210
Study Section
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
Budget End
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
1990
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
National Institute on Aging
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
State
Country
United States
Zip Code
Terracciano, Antonio; McCrae, Robert R (2007) Perceptions of Americans and the Iraq Invasion: Implications for Understanding National Character Stereotypes. J Cross Cult Psychol 38:695-710
Terracciano, Antonio; McCrae, Robert R; Costa Jr, Paul T (2006) Longitudinal trajectories in Guilford-Zimmerman temperament survey data: results from the Baltimore longitudinal study of aging. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 61:P108-16
Terracciano, Antonio; Costa Jr, Paul T; McCrae, Robert R (2006) Personality plasticity after age 30. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 32:999-1009
Costa Jr, Paul T; McCrae, Robert R (2006) Age changes in personality and their origins: comment on Roberts, Walton, and Viechtbauer (2006). Psychol Bull 132:26-8
McCrae, Robert R; Terracciano, Antonio; Personality Profiles of Cultures Project (2005) Universal features of personality traits from the observer's perspective: data from 50 cultures. J Pers Soc Psychol 88:547-61
Terracciano, Antonio; McCrae, Robert R; Brant, Larry J et al. (2005) Hierarchical linear modeling analyses of the NEO-PI-R scales in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Psychol Aging 20:493-506
McCrae, Robert R; Terracciano, Antonio (2005) Personality profiles of cultures: aggregate personality traits. J Pers Soc Psychol 89:407-25
Costa Jr, Paul T; Bagby, R Michael; Herbst, Jeffrey H et al. (2005) Personality self-reports are concurrently reliable and valid during acute depressive episodes. J Affect Disord 89:45-55
Terracciano, A; Abdel-Khalek, A M; Adam, N et al. (2005) National character does not reflect mean personality trait levels in 49 cultures. Science 310:96-100
Weiss, Alexander; Costa Jr, Paul T; Karuza, Jurgis et al. (2005) Cross-sectional age differences in personality among medicare patients aged 65 to 100. Psychol Aging 20:182-5

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