TY - JOUR
T1 - Personality trait development from age 12 to age 18
T2 - Longitudinal, cross-sectional, and cross-cultural analyses
AU - McCrae, Robert R.
AU - Costa, Paul T.
AU - Terracciano, Antonio
AU - Parker, Wayne D.
AU - Mills, Carol J.
AU - De Fruyt, Filip
AU - Mervielde, Ivan
PY - 2002/12
Y1 - 2002/12
N2 - Three studies were conducted to assess mean level changes in personality traits during adolescence. Versions of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (P. T. Costa, Jr., & R. R. McCrae, 1992a) were used to assess the 5 major personality factors. A 4-year longitudinal study of intellectually gifted students (N = 230) was supplemented by cross-sectional studies of nonselected American (N = 1,959) and Flemish (N = 789) adolescents. Personality factors were reasonably invariant across ages, although rank-order stability of individual differences was low. Neuroticism appeared to increase in girls, and Openness to Experience increased in both boys and girls; mean levels of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were stable. Results extend knowledge of the developmental curve of personality traits backward from adulthood and help bridge the gap with child temperament studies.
AB - Three studies were conducted to assess mean level changes in personality traits during adolescence. Versions of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (P. T. Costa, Jr., & R. R. McCrae, 1992a) were used to assess the 5 major personality factors. A 4-year longitudinal study of intellectually gifted students (N = 230) was supplemented by cross-sectional studies of nonselected American (N = 1,959) and Flemish (N = 789) adolescents. Personality factors were reasonably invariant across ages, although rank-order stability of individual differences was low. Neuroticism appeared to increase in girls, and Openness to Experience increased in both boys and girls; mean levels of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were stable. Results extend knowledge of the developmental curve of personality traits backward from adulthood and help bridge the gap with child temperament studies.
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U2 - 10.1037/0022-3514.83.6.1456
DO - 10.1037/0022-3514.83.6.1456
M3 - Article
C2 - 12500824
AN - SCOPUS:0037665548
SN - 0022-3514
VL - 83
SP - 1456
EP - 1468
JO - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
JF - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
IS - 6
ER -