Research article summary (published 29 Jun 2009):

Patterns and sources of adult personality development: growth curve analyses of the NEO PI-R scales in a longitudinal twin study.

Full Abstract

The present study examined the patterns and sources of 10-year stability and change of adult personality assessed by the 5 domains and 30 facets of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory. Phenotypic and biometric analyses were performed on data from 126 identical and 61 fraternal twins from the Bielefeld Longitudinal Study of Adult Twins (BiLSAT). Consistent with previous research, LGM analyses revealed significant mean-level changes in domains and facets suggesting maturation of personality. There were also substantial individual differences in the change trajectories of both domain and facet scales. Correlations between age and trait changes were modest and there were no significant associations between change and gender. Biometric extensions of growth curve models showed that 10-year stability and change of personality were influenced by both genetic as well as environmental factors. Regarding the etiology of change, the analyses uncovered a more complex picture than originally stated, as findings suggest noticeable differences between traits with respect to the magnitude of genetic and environmental effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved).

Author information

Author/s: Bleidorn, Wiebke (W); Kandler, Christian (C); Riemann, Rainer (R); Spinath, Frank M (FM); Angleitner, Alois (A);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany. wiebke.bleidorn(-atsign-)uni-bielefeld.de

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Twin Study

Journal: Journal of personality and social psychology (J Pers Soc Psychol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Jul; vol 97 (issue 1) : pp 142-55

Dates: Created 2009/07/09; Completed 2009/08/14;

PMID: 19586245, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 8/21/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult Female Humans Individuality Longitudinal Studies Male Middle Aged Models, Psychological

Personality Development Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data Phenotype Psychometrics Social Environment Socialization Twins - genetics; psychology Young Adult

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