Possible paragraphs

- Environment: love and work

- Traits
- different traits in different environments
- interaction between trait and envrionment
- goals and personality
- Family, love and work
- Trends through age – but what are the causes, environment and trait

This paper will highlight the change of traits over time by following the developmental
trends of traits across the lifetime

3 paragraphs
- Traits (quite different at the start, dictate many things)
- Evidence will relate to the five-factor model to aid consistency in results

Introduction:
Personality is an individuals set of patterned ways of thinking, feeling and behaving
(Roberts 2004). Personality involves many dynamic elements that can be categorised into
five group for the purpose of consistency in analysis. These involve Extraversion,
Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness.
This essay will argue that personality does change throughout the lifespan, by evaluation
of the process of personality development from infancy through to old age. Evidence
suggests that while Biological traits play a large role in personality during childhood,
environmental factors take precedence during the maturation process of adolescence and
then as a result of change in life events throughout adulthood.
This essay will discuss patterns of change throughout the lifespan, beginning in childhood
where triats are most evident through to adolescence where traits and environment
interact to pave the way for life ahead and finally in adulthood and old age where life
experiences are the most influential on personality.
Biological traits are:…
Traits are evident from birth. They show strong correlations from infancy to childhood,
indicating a high consistency of personality traits during the first years of life.
The strongest evidence for biological influence on personality is found to be amongst
children, suggesting the younger years are when genetic factors have the most influence
on personality.
There have been many studies linking temprement or behaviour at infancy or childhood
to behaviour in adulthood.
Capsi et al. (2003) found that behavioural at 3 months old were consistent in predicting
personality across all 5 personality dimensions.
Children who displayed high levels of confidence were linked to extraversion and
openness at age 26 and reserved children, predictably, became higher in introversion an
lower in openness.
Furthermore, a study involving infant and childhood behavioural style found a stronger
correlation in traits over 6 years between monozygotic twins (sharing 100% of DNA),
compared to dizygotic twins (sharing 50% of DNA). The most heritable traits being
extraversion and openness, The least agreeableness (Goldsmith & Gottesman 1981). This
evidence further supports the role of DNA in personality expression throughout early
years.
- Agreeableness doesn’t show high heritability- accounting for increases over years
- Children who were higher in openness/intellect and conscientiousness tended to choose
investigative and artistic work environments and were unlikely to chose conventional work
environments as adults (work environment one)
- However, the early years are not exclusively trait directed. One study found that
parenting interventions given to single mothers can increase a child’s social
adjustment (extraversion) and decreased neuroticism through increased positive
reinforcement and attention (mothers source)
- However, during this time, environmental factors such as parenting also play a
large role in the expression of traits. (Forgatch,1999) Forgatch found that
Mothers undergoing parenting interventions were able to guide their
children to become less neurotic and more socially adjusted in school. This
reflects Goldsmith & Gottesman’s idea
- Indicating Traits with less heritability such as agreeableness are more
mailable.
-
However, the influence of genetics on personality is seen to decrease as an individual
ages, in which case environmental factors begin to play a larger role.
Traits are most malleable during early adulthood (Roberts, Walton & Viechtbauer 2006).
During adolescence and through to roughly 22 years of age, personality moves from a set
of behaviours dictated by biologically familiar patterns, into behaviour patterns resulting
from environmental commitments (McAdams 2010, Bleidorn et al. 2013). This process is
called Social investment theory (find original source, Roberts, Wood & Smith 2005,
Bleidorn 2013).

During childhood traits are the biologically familiar set of behaviours that dictate more of
personality, come teenagehood the development of goals is a mixture of social influence and
traits as one deciced what is expected of them and what they expect of the world. As they
commit to few goals the way those goals play out becomes influential in personality, marking
the gradual shift from trait based personality to environment based personality. This is
shown by the increase in conscientiousness ….. (ellen Gilmore)

- Heritability decreases

The process of goal development is in its intergral stages. During this phase young adults
refine their goals into fewer, relevant and achievable goals through evaluation of social
and personal expectations and resources (Habermas & Bluck 2000, Roberts 2006, . This is
likely to account for the increases in social vitality, an element of extraversion during
this age (Roberts 2006)

- Interplay between environment and genetics, those with economic goals tended to
be more extraverted and conscientiousness (Roberts 2004)
Evidence suggests people are likely to choose goals and careers that reflect their
personality traits through evaluation of internal and external resources (Roberts et al.
2004, people chose work environments that suit their traits)
However, during this time clear general trends in personality change begin to emerge (like
everybody).
- Goals also have to do with reference points (environmental influences, roles
- Include the overall trends that we see
The transition into the labour force(and romantic love) seems to be the most influential
role adoption that changes personality.
Bledorn et al. (2013) found that Cultures with norms of transitioning into the labour force
earlier relative to most cultures, showed increases in conscientiousness, agreeableness and
decreases in neuroticism, earlier than other cultures.
This is strong evidence for the hypothesis that work is one of the strongest environmental
factors in shaping personality. Even moreso than family-role transitions (Bleidorn et al.
2013). Bliidorn (2018) hypothesised that This is due to the strict behavioural, cognitive or
emotional demands work places on an individual. They then suggest that these adopted
habits are transferrable across different domains and thus shape personality. Studies
revealing trait conscientiousness decreases and neuroticism increases after retirement
support this concept of work shaping personality.
- Conscientiousness decreases about 70 (Roberts 2006)
-
 - Agreeableness also increases a lot throughout adulthood, in line with the finding
agreeableness shows verriy little heritability- mostly up to environment
(goldsmith)
- Age related increases in openess for cultures with late onset of family and job-role
responsibilties (supports idea of adult identity expression) (Bleidorn 2018)
- Conscientiousness increases most, agreeableness increased next, neuroticism
decreases and openness and extraversion increased( Bleidorn 2018)
- Agreeableness, neuroticism openness and extraversion changes due to change in
work expectations and the resulting increased conscientiousness (work being
done), agreeableness and extraversion (need to follow orders and work
collaboratively), (Bleidorn 2018)
- Family increases openness and conscientiousness ( Bleidorn 2018)
- Social investment = psychological commitment (Roberts, 2013) – receive social
rewards for such behaviour

Unique Life events on personality

Unique live events are events that are outside the normative age-related role transisions
but also have significant effects on personality. Events such as Divorce and Drug use
induce personality change as they involve specific transitions that require new
behavioural, cognitive or emotional responses (Bleidor 2018, Piedmont 2001)
The extent to which any life event effects a particular individuals personality depends on
the rank-order traits the person already holds( Bleidor 2018). For example individuals
with higher levels of trait neuroticism, extraversion and agreeableness are likely to see
greater personality effects from a romantic relationship ( Bleidor 2018).

- Experiencing tense, dissatisfying and abusive relationships is associated with

increases in neuroticism and negative emotionality (Roberts & chapman 2000)
- Furthermore, there is evidence that therapy contributes to positive personality change
(Roberts,2005)
- Found that recently sober people who engaged in a multimodal intervention
including coucilling and , reported decreased neutocisim and increases in
conscientiousness, extraversion and agreeableness post-treatment. – this in
combination with other factors reveals that environmental factors that challage and
individual to behave in a consistent and socially reposible manner, increase certain
traits as consistent with self-ivestment theory. (elleg)
-
conclusion

Environment into traits (goals and adolescence to college age), social investment theory

- Environment as one grows older, general trends in personality development)

- Love, work, family and therapy