A Longitudinal Study of Personality Change in Young Adulthood

TLDR

The study examined personality continuity and change among young adults from college entry to graduation. A cohort of 270 students completed Big Five assessments at college entry and after four years. Results showed small‑to‑medium mean‑level changes, high rank‑order and structural stability, and moderate ipsative stability, indicating that personality traits are largely continuous yet can change systematically.

Abstract

The present research examined personality continuity and change in a sample of young men and women assessed at the beginning and end of college. Two‐hundred seventy students completed measures of the Big Five personality traits when they first entered college and then four years later. Analyses indicate small‐ to medium‐sized normative (i.e., mean‐level) changes, large rank‐order stability correlations, high levels of stability in personality structure, and moderate levels of ipsative (i.e. profile) stability. Overall, the findings are consistent with the perspective that personality traits exhibits considerable continuity over time, yet can change in systematic ways.