Personality development in middle adulthood

Do personality changes occur in middle adulthood? Using data from the Interdisciplinary Study on Adult Development (ILSE), differential stability, mean-level changes, and individual-level changes of personality traits were examined over a 12-year period with three measurement occasions. The longitudinal sample consisted of 323 adults who were initially ranging from 42 to 46 years of age. Personality traits were measured with the NEO-FFI Personality Inventory. Results indicated significant, small-sized, mean-level changes in Neuroticism and Extraversion. Stability coefficients were around .70, indicating high differential stability. Finally, results showed that 67% of the middle-aged adults exhibited reliable personality change on at least one trait in one time period. Findings from our study suggest stability of the sample-level and individual-level change in personality traits across middle adulthood.