Personalitythroughout the

LifespanMichael Hoerger

Pervasiveness of Personality

Personality• Definitions:

• A person’s relatively enduring patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings

• Style of viewing and interacting with the world

• Often measured with surveys• Highly debated in the 1960s and 1970s• Interaction of…

• Individual and situation• Genes and environment• Conscious and unconscious

Trait High Low

Neuroticism

(N)

Negative mood,

irritable, worried

Calm, relaxed,

even tempered

Extraversion

(E)

Social, assertive,

energetic

Independent,

like being alone

Openness to

Experience (O)

Artistic, liberal,

adventurous

Conventional,

conservative

Agreeableness

(A)

Cooperative,

trusting

Argumentative,

skeptical

Conscientiousness

(C)

Disciplined, hard-working

Procrastinating,

disorganized

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Temperament• Highly heritable aspects of personality,

evident even early in life

1. Rythmicity: predictability of behavior patterns, especially eating and sleeping

2. Emotionality: pleasant or unpleasant, intensity and duration of reactions

3. Activity: energy level

4. Distractibility: ability to ignore distractors

5. Sociability: tendency to approach/ avoid

Norms of Reaction• Definition: expected pattern of

development, given a specific environment• Temperament interacts with environmental

influences in adaptive or harmful ways

Personality Disorders• Style of personality that is inflexible,

extreme, and causes impaired functioning

• Examples:• Schizotypal: unusual beliefs, socially

isolated• Dependent: needs a relationship, can’t

make own decisions• Antisocial Personality Disorder: impulsive,

manipulative, aggressive

Characteristic Adaptations

• Personality can be difficult to change, especially for personality disorders

• Rather than trying to modify traits, often psychologists focus on “characteristic adaptations” or how those traits are used

• Example for disagreeableness:• Criminal who breaks many laws• Lawyer who argues and debates

Lifespan Perspective• Childhood personality influenced by family • Niche picking: in adulthood, people choose

environments more suitable to their genes• People report large changes in personality

(though changes tend to be small)• Changes tend to be adaptive• Early to late adulthood: ↓N, ↓E, ↓O, ↑A, ↑C• Criminality tends to decline after age 45

Demographic Differences

• Gender: females score higher than males on N and A

• Gender convergence: Masculinity and femininity tend to fluctuate with changing family roles; older adults become more androgynous

• Birth Order: no differences!

Personality Correlates• Good Health: low Hostility (aspect of A)• Achievement: high C• Political Views: high levels of education

related to liberalism (aspect of O)• Psychological Well-being: high E, low N

• Assertiveness (aspect of E) may be key for reducing stress; involves expressing one’s feelings and needs, while still respecting others

Michael Hoerger

To cite this lecture:• Hoerger, M. (2007, April 11). Personality

throughout the Lifespan. Presented at a PSY 220 lecture at Central Michigan University.