The Stability of Personality: Observations and Evaluations

Abstract

In this brief passage, Emerson an ticipated modern findings about the stability of personality and pointed out an illusion to which both layper sons and psychologists are prone. He was also perhaps the first to de cry personality stability as the enemy of freedom, creativity, and growth, objecting that temperament puts all divinity to rout. In this article, we summarize evidence in support of Emerson's observations but offer ar guments against his evaluation of them.2