1.

0 INTRODUCTION

Personality is a branch of psychology that examines the individuality and

other individual processes that make us human. Among other definitions refer
to a quality or condition that exists or exists in an individual for the individual
calling himself a human being. This personality includes a compilation of
factors such as biology, psychology and sociology. For the socialization
process, one must have personality.

In psychology, personality is defined as a set of emotional patterns,

thoughts and treatments that are unique to a person and consistent with time.
Personality is also closely related to the actions of someone who wants to
express the emotional and thought control features. Personality plays an
important part of a person from an external point of view that plays a personal
karma. In that regard, one of the researches explains the appearance can be
measured from within and can be exposed to the external.

Each individual on earth has its own character, attitude, style, and
personality. Individuals are also varied, meaning no individual is completely
the same as his or her attributes and each individual is unique, but share
some of the particular traits with others. Personality symbolizes the
characteristics of one's individual personality, and it is characterized by the
difference between a person and another. Two concepts that need to be
emphasized are typical and different. A person's personality is composed of
all the psychological features that are relatively unchanged, typical (commonly
available) to the person. For example they have typical generous, shy,
impulative and others. The second emphasis on different terms. The typical
patterns are typical of acting, thinking, and feeling everyone is the one that
causes them to differ from others.

The personality and English words, person are two closely related words.
In general, the personality will describe the individual but in particular, the
personality is the inherent attributes of an individual such as the way he
thinks, acts, emotions, perceptions and others that enable him to be
distinguished from others. Therefore, the personality will describe the
individual 's physical, emotional, and cognitive properties.

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2.0 PERSONALITY IS INDEED STABLE AND UNCHANGED OVER TIME

During the past several decades, there has been a great deal of interest
in the question of whether adult personality is characterized by stability or
instability (e.g., Caspi & Roberts, 1999; Costa & McCrae, 1994; Heatherton &
Weinberger, 1994; Helson, Jones, & Kwan, 2002). The debate is not simply
whether significant changes exist across the life span; it also includes
differences in how personality should be properly conceptualized, measured,
and statistically analyzed. Some personality and life-span theorists emphasize
the potential plasticity of personality as a function of contextual variables and
compensatory behavioral changes to biological aging (Baltes, Staudinger, &
Lindenberger, 1999; Caspi & Roberts, 1999) and advocate a change-oriented
and person-oriented approach to personality in adulthood (Helson &
Srivastava, 2001; Roberts, 1997). Others emphasize the predominant stability
of personality in adulthood after ontogenetic change is completed in young
adulthood (McCrae et al., 2000), even while they acknowledge that life events
can alter personality in midlife (Costa, Herbst, McCrae, & Siegler, 2000).

For me, to understand divergent views, we find it critical to define the

multiple aspects of stability that are relevant to understanding personality
consistency and change (Caspi & Roberts, 1999). One aspect is the stability
of individual differences over time—or differential stability; that is, the rank-
order consistency of individuals' personality attributes across time (Ozer,
1986). A lack of differential stability implies that individuals vary in the
trajectories of personality change over the life span. Differential stability is
often indexed by cross-time correlation coefficients (stability coefficients); by
any account, the stability coefficients of major personality traits tend to be
substantial in magnitude (Costa & McCrae, 1994). Roberts and Del Vecchio's
(2000) meta-analysis reported a gradual increase in differential stability in
personality across the life span. Childhood was characterized as the period of
least stability, with trait consistency reaching a plateau between the ages of
50 and 70 and remaining constant thereafter. Specifically, they reported that
across a 6- to 7-year follow-up interval, the average stability coefficient for the
oldest age group was.74.

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 Alternatively, absolute stability involves stability of mean levels of
behavioral dispositions across the life span. Recent arguments favoring
personality change in midlife and old age have focused on evidence for
instability in the level of personality in midlife and old age (e.g., Helson et al.,
2002; Jones & Meredith, 1996). Helson and colleagues, using the California
Personality Inventory (CPI), reported reliable curvilinear trends in mean
personality change in adulthood, with the largest changes associated with the
domain of norm adherence, including responsibility, socialization, self-control,
and good impression. Flexibility of behavior manifested linear declines across
the adult life span. Effect size estimates for longitudinal change were small to
moderate in magnitude. In contrast, longitudinal research with the NEO
Personality Inventory (NEO-PI; Costa & McCrae, 1985) has indicated only
modest longitudinal changes in level of personality (e.g., Costa & McCrae,
1988; 1992). On the basis of existing evidence and interpretations of the
literature, one might suspect that the NEO-PI is less likely to manifest
personality change than the CPI.

A third aspect of stability concerns the invariance of the structure of

personality over time. In this case, the question is whether the organization of
behavioral dispositions shifts across the life course, leading to changes in the
correlations of different attributes. The hypothesis of structural change in
personality can be addressed in a variety of ways (Block, 2001), including
comparative factor analysis. In the present study, we examined longitudinal
evidence for these three aspects of stability (differential, absolute, and
structural) of personality among a group of older adults measured over a 6-
year interval.

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3.0 DISCUSSION

Generally personalities refer to the characteristics and attitudes that you

exhibit either individually or in public. As a teenager, your personality is still
shaped through childhood experiences and is influenced by your environment.
Usually a person has a stable personality after reaching the age of 21.

However, some say the age of 40 represents the stability of one's

personality. The longer the age, the stronger the attitude, the peel, the
practice and the holding of his life.

Therefore, the age of 40 is associated with maturity and emotional stability

in life. At this age man also reaches the peak of his health because after that
his strength will gradually decrease.

Here it is clear that the ever-increasing age of an individual's personality is

stable. This proves the language of personality stability is dependent on time
changes.

The starting point was the realization that there are several different ways
to define and measure personality stability. Heterotypic stability refers to the
consistency of the underlying psychological attribute that may have different
behavioral manifestations at different ages. Homotypic stability, on the other
hand, refers to the consistency of the same observable manifestations of a
personality attribute. This type of stability is commonly studied in the current
literature, and absolute and differential stability are a focus on many studies.
A consideration of the broad literature on personality stability yields two major
conclusions.

Average levels of personality attributes seem to change in predictable

ways across the lifespan in line with maturity principle of personality
development. Traits that are correlated with positive outcomes (such as
conscientiousness) seem to increase from adolescence to adulthood. This
perspective on personality stability is gained from considering absolute
stability in the form of average levels of personality attributes at different ages.

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 Personality attributes are relatively enduring attributes that become
increasingly consistent during adulthood in line with the cumulative continuity
principle. This perspective on stability is gained from considering differential
stability in the form of test-retest correlations from longitudinal studies.

In general, those personality traits are relatively enduring attributes that

become more stable from childhood to adulthood. Nonetheless, the stability of
personality attributes is not perfect at any period in the lifespan. This is an
important conclusion because it challenges two extreme perspectives that
have been influential in psychological research.

Character (personality) was “set like plaster” for most people by age 30.
This perspective implies near perfect stability of personality in adulthood. In
contrast, other psychologists have sometimes denied there was any stability
to personality at all. Their perspective is that individual thoughts and feelings
are simply responses to transitory situational influences that are unlikely to
show much consistency across the lifespan. As discussed so far, current
research does not support either of these extreme perspectives. Nonetheless,
the existence of some degree of stability raises important questions about the
exact processes and mechanisms that produce personality stability (and
personality change).

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4.0 BIG FIVE MODEL QUESTIONNAIRE

Feedback

The test that you have just taken is based on the Five Factor Model of
personality. There is a broad consensus amongst personality theorists that
this model, which describes five major 'domains' or traits, is the best current
description of the structure of personality. The five major dimensions, and
your scores on them, are described below. Try to interpret your results on the
basis of the overall pattern, rather than just concentrating on particular scores.

Factor I : Extraversion (AKA Surgency)

This trait reflects preference for, and behavior in, social situations. People
high in extraversion are energetic and seek out the company of others. Low
scorers (introverts) tend to be more quiet and reserved. Compared to other
people who have taken this test, your score on this dimension (30) is about
average.

Factor II : Agreeableness (AKA Friendliness)

This trait reflects how we tend to interact with others. People high in
agreeableness tend to be trusting, friendly and cooperative. Low scorers tend
to be more aggressive and less cooperative. Compared to other people who
have taken this test, your score on this dimension (29) is relatively high.

Factor III : Conscientiousness (AKA Will or Dependability)

This trait reflects how organized and persistent we are in pursuing our goals.
High scorers are methodical, well organized and dutiful. Low scorers are less
careful, less focussed and more likely to be distracted from tasks. Compared

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to other people who have taken this test, your score on this dimension (41)
is relatively high.

Factor IV : Neuroticism

This trait reflects the tendency to experience negative thoughts and feelings.
High scorers are prone to insecurity and emotional distress. Low scorers tend
to be more relaxed, less emotional and less prone to distress. Compared to
other people who have taken this test, your score on this dimension (18)
is relatively low.

Factor V : Openness (AKA Culture or Intellect)

This trait reflects 'open-mindedness' and interest in culture. High scorers tend
to be imaginative, creative, and to seek out cultural and educational
experiences. Low scorers are more down-to-earth, less interested in art and
more practical in nature. Compared to other people who have taken this test,
your score on this dimension (23) is relatively low.

The Big Five domains include extraversion (attributes such as assertive,

confident, independent, outgoing, and sociable), agreeableness (attributes
such as cooperative, kind, modest, and trusting), conscientiousness
(attributes such as hard working, dutiful, self-controlled, and goal-oriented),
neuroticism (attributes such as anxious, tense, moody, and easily angered),
and openness (attributes such as artistic, curious, inventive, and open-
minded). The Big Five is one of the most common ways of organizing the vast
range of personality attributes that seem to distinguish one person from the
next. This organizing framework made it possible for Roberts et al. (2006) to
draw broad conclusions from the literature.

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 In general, average levels of extraversion (especially the attributes linked
to self-confidence and independence), agreeableness, and conscientiousness
appear to increase with age whereas neuroticism appears to decrease with
age (Roberts et al., 2006). Openness also declines with age, especially after
mid-life (Roberts et al., 2006). These changes are often viewed as positive
trends given that higher levels of agreeableness and conscientiousness and
lower levels of neuroticism are associated with seemingly desirable outcomes
such as increased relationship stability and quality, greater success at work,
better health, a reduced risk of criminality and mental health problems, and
even decreased mortality (e.g., Kotov, Gamez, Schmidt, & Watson,
2010; Miller & Lynam 2001; Ozer & Benet-Martínez, 2006; Roberts, Kuncel,
Shiner, Caspi, & Goldberg, 2007). This pattern of positive average changes in
personality attributes is known as the maturity principle of adult personality
development (Caspi, Roberts, & Shiner, 2005). The basic idea is that
attributes associated with positive adaptation and attributes associated with
the successful fulfillment of adult roles tend to increase during adulthood in
terms of their average levels.

Beyond providing insights into the general outline of adult personality

development, Roberts et al. (2006) found that young adulthood (the period
between the ages of 18 and the late 20s) was the most active time in the
lifespan for observing average changes, although average differences in
personality attributes were observed across the lifespan. Such a result might
be surprising in light of the intuition that adolescence is a time of personality
change and maturation. However, young adulthood is typically a time in the
lifespan that includes a number of life changes in terms of finishing school,
starting a career, committing to romantic partnerships, and parenthood
(Donnellan, Conger, & Burzette, 2007; Rindfuss, 1991). Finding that young
adulthood is an active time for personality development provides
circumstantial evidence that adult roles might generate pressures for certain
patterns of personality development. Indeed, this is one potential explanation
for the maturity principle of personality development.

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 It should be emphasized again that average trends are summaries that
do not necessarily apply to all individuals. Some people do not conform to the
maturity principle. The possibility of exceptions to general trends is the reason
it is necessary to study individual patterns of personality development.

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5.0 CONCLUSION

Personality psychology is about how individuals differ from each other in

their characteristic ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Some of the most
interesting questions about personality attributes involve issues of stability
and change. Are shy children destined to become shy adults? Are the typical
personality attributes of adults different from the typical attributes of
adolescents? Do people become more self-controlled and better able to
manage their negative emotions as they become adults? What mechanisms
explain personality stability and what mechanisms account for personality
change?

It is also possible that individuals might change their personality attributes

by actively striving to change their behaviors and emotional reactions with
help from outsiders. This idea lies at the heart of psychotherapy. As it stands,
the conditions that produce lasting personality changes are an active area of
research. Personality researchers have historically sought to demonstrate the
existence of personality stability, and they are now turning their full attention
to the conditions that facilitate personality change.

There are multiple ways to evaluate personality stability. The existing

evidence suggests that personality attributes are relatively enduring attributes
that show predictable average-level changes across the lifespan. Personality
stability is produced by a complicated interplay between individuals and their
social settings. Many personality attributes are linked to life experiences in a
mutually reinforcing cycle: Personality attributes seem to shape environmental
contexts, and those contexts often then accentuate and reinforce those very
personality attributes. Even so, personality change or transformation is
possible because individuals respond to their environments. Individuals may
also want to change their personalities. Personality researchers are now
beginning to address important questions about the possibility of lasting
personality changes through intervention efforts.

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REFERENCES

Baltes, P. B., Staudinger, U. M., Lindenberger, U. 1999. Lifespan psychology.

Theory and application to intellectual functioning. Annual Review of
Psychology, 50, 471 -507.

Block, J. 2001. Millennial contrarianism: The five-factor approach to

personality description 5 years later. Journal of Research in Personality, 35,
98 -107.

Caspi, A., Roberts, B. W., & Shiner, R. L. (2005). Personality development:

Stability and change. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 453–484.

Costa, P. T., Jr., McCrae, R. R. 1994. The stability of personality:

Observations and evaluations. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3,
173 -175.

McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T., Jr. (2003). Personality in adulthood: A five-
factor theory perspective (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Heatherton, T., Weinberger, J., (Eds.). 1994. Can personality change?.

Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Helson, R., Srivastava, S. 2001. Three paths of adult development:

Conservers, seekers, and achievers. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 80, 995 -1010.

Helson, R., Jones, C., Kwan, V. S. Y. 2002. Personality change over 40 years
of adulthood: Hierarchical linear modeling analyses of two longitudinal
samples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 752-766.

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Miller, J. D., & Lynam, D. (2001). Structural models of personality and their
relation to antisocial behavior: A meta-analytic review. Criminology, 39, 765–
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Ozer, D. J., & Benet-Martínez, V. (2006). Personality and the prediction of

consequential outcomes. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 401–421.

Kotov, R., Gamez, W., Schmidt, F., & Watson, D. (2010). Linking “big”
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meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 136, 768–821.

Roberts, B. W. 1997. Plaster or plasticity: Are work experiences associated

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Roberts, B. W. (2006). Personality development and organizational

behavior. Research in Organizational Behavior, 27, 1–40.

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