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A Systematic Review of Personality Trait Change Through Intervention
Abstract
The current meta-analysis investigated the extent to which personality traits changed as a result of intervention, with the primary focus on clinical interventions. We identified 207 studies that had tracked changes in measures of personality traits during interventions, including true experiments and prepost change designs. Interventions were associated with marked changes in personality trait measures over an average time of 24 weeks (e.g., d = .37). Additional analyses showed that the increases replicated across experimental and nonexperimental designs, for nonclinical interventions, and persisted in longitudinal follow-ups of samples beyond the course of intervention. Emotional stability was the primary trait domain showing changes as a result of therapy, followed by extraversion. The type of therapy employed was not strongly associated with the amount of change in personality traits. Patients presenting with anxiety disorders changed the most, and patients being treated for substance use changed the least. The relevance of the results for theory and social policy are discussed.
... Given this consistent evidence for the predictive effects of personality traits on relevant life outcomes, the question arises whether personality traits can be actionable targets to promote the attainment of these outcomes. As personality traits are theorized to have lasting influences on health, relationships, work, and other life domains 3,8,[12][13][14][15][16][17] , they may be useful targets for interventions designed to improve people's quality of life across domains 5 . Moreover, many people are intrinsically motivated to change their personality 18,19 , highlighting the possibility of volitional personality change (VPC) in the general population. ...
... Furthermore, as illustrated in Fig. 5, changes in personality traits over 3 months were about three-times stronger for people who wanted to change their personality traits (d = 0.14) compared to normative personality changes over the same time interval (d = 0.04). However, overall, the effect sizes for VPC without intervention were rather modest when evaluated based on common effect size guidelines 41 and compared to effect sizes of intervention-induced personality changes 13 . Furthermore, it should be noted that the mega-analysis incorporated a few samples in which interventions were conducted and thus it does not provide a "pure" answer to the question of whether change goals can predict VPC without interventions 28 . ...
... As illustrated in Fig. 5, this effect size is approximately five-times stronger than normative personality trait changes over the same time interval (d = 0.04) and 1.5-times stronger than the effect size of VPC without interventions (d = 0.14) 12,40 . However, it seems to be lower than effect sizes found for personality changes in context of psychotherapeutic interventions (d = 0.37) 13 . Furthermore, interventions differed in their efficacy, with some interventions even leading to unwanted personality changes (Fig. 6). ...
... Research has further examined the role of intervention in personality trait development. Roberts et al. (2017) argued that meaningful change in personality traits can occur over the course of years rather than weeks, however, this natural development of personality could be accelerated by exposure to a therapeutic intervention; as such, they explored the extent of personality trait change as a result of intervention in their meta-analysis of 207 studies. Studies were coded as a clinical intervention (for example, cognitive-behavioral, supportive/ humanistic, psychoanalytic etc.) or nonclinical intervention (for example, efforts to improve cognitive functioning). ...
... Studies were coded as a clinical intervention (for example, cognitive-behavioral, supportive/ humanistic, psychoanalytic etc.) or nonclinical intervention (for example, efforts to improve cognitive functioning). Roberts et al. (2017) report evidence of personality trait change for experimental groups but not control groups following both clinical and nonclinical interventions, with the data showing that both clinical and nonclinical populations demonstrated similar levels of personality trait change, post intervention. Roberts et al. (2017) note that when compared to patterns of change in the control groups, it appears that interventions cause changes in personality trait as opposed to participants simply rebounding from a low point in life. ...
... Roberts et al. (2017) report evidence of personality trait change for experimental groups but not control groups following both clinical and nonclinical interventions, with the data showing that both clinical and nonclinical populations demonstrated similar levels of personality trait change, post intervention. Roberts et al. (2017) note that when compared to patterns of change in the control groups, it appears that interventions cause changes in personality trait as opposed to participants simply rebounding from a low point in life. ...
Purpose
A specific area of interest in the coaching literature is focused on exploring the intersection of personality and coaching; however, research has yet to explore whether coaching exerts reciprocal effects on personality traits (i.e. if personality trait change can accompany coaching). Utilizing the explanatory theoretical framing of the Demands-Affordances TrAnsactional framework (Woods et al., 2019), we propose that coaching may indirectly facilitate personality trait change by firstly enabling the coachee to reflect on their behaviors, second, implement desired behavioral changes which consequently facilitate personality trait change.
Design/methodology/approach
A quasi-experiment was conducted to explore coaching and personality trait change. Students participating in a demanding, work-based team simulation (N = 258), were assigned to either an intervention group (and received one-to-one coaching) or a control group (who received no intervention). Personality traits were measured before and after coaching and positioned as the dependent variable.
Findings
Results indicate that participants in the coaching group exhibited significant changes in self-reported agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion and core self-evaluations, which all significantly decreased after coaching; however, no change was observed for the control group.
Originality/value
We provide the first exploration of coaching and personality trait change, contributing to both the coaching literature, by providing evidence regarding the efficacy of coaching to facilitate personality trait change in coachees, and the personality literature, by highlighting coaching as an important tool for those interested in personality trait change. Our research also has implications for other interventions such as mentoring, as we provide support for the notion that interventions can support personality trait change.
... This might involve more detailed skill training and providing participants with additional time to become accustomed to thinking in more adaptive ways, which might not be achievable in a short two-hour intervention (Kotsou et al., 2019). Considering that EI is often considered trait-related, it is plausible that more extended durations, suggested to be between four to eight weeks, are required for the newly acquired EI skills to become internalised and automatic (Roberts et al., 2017). However, it is important to note that these conclusions may vary among scholars. ...
... Given the methodological variability and limited scope of high-quality studies in this field, future research is needed to establish the optimal duration and structure of EI interventions more reliably. One suggestion outlined by Roberts et al. (2017) is for researchers to consider longitudinal studies that assess changes on a more frequent basis, such as every week or month, to capture when and how these changes occur. ...
Background: The healthcare sector is acknowledged as a complex and challenging field. Increasingly, research highlights the importance of healthcare workers’ internal social and emotional skills in managing their well-being and enhancing their capacity to provide patient care and support to colleagues. Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been identified as a key factor in improving the health and performance of healthcare workers, leading to the implementation of numerous programs aimed at enhancing EI.
Objective: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of EI training interventions among healthcare workers, focusing on various intervention designs and their impact on EI improvement.
Methods: The review encompassed 17 longitudinal studies, each implementing EI training interventions for healthcare workers aged 18 and over. The studies employed a variety of research designs.
Results: All studies demonstrated an increase in EI following the intervention. However, methodological limitations within these studies might have led to an overestimation of the actual effects of the interventions.
Conclusion: While the reviewed studies indicate a positive trend in EI enhancement post-intervention, the potential overestimation of effects due to methodological flaws necessitates caution. The findings underline the need for future research to explore the optimal duration and delivery methods for EI training in healthcare settings.
Systematic review registration: The systematic review and meta-analysis have been pre-registered with PROSPERO [CRD42023393760]. Further details can be accessed at: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023393760.
... A meta-analysis of 207 intensive psychotherapy interventions (averaging 24 weeks of therapy, including cognitive behavioral, supportive, pharmacological, and psychodynamic therapy) established that traits can be changed (e.g., d = .37; Roberts et al., 2017). Effects were usually small yet more enduring when therapy, regardless of type, exceeded 8 weeks. ...
... Of course, it may also be that personality change drives changes in primals. Behavior could change first due to deliberate intervention (as in Hudson & Fraley, 2015;Hudson et al., 2019;Roberts et al., 2017;Stieger et al., 2021) or the happenstance of life events. The possibility that primals might follow from changes in personality is consistent with our argument because the proposed relationship is cyclical (see recursive relationships in Figure 3). ...
Many of us—60% of humanity, according to one study—would like to change some of our personality traits, such as decreasing pessimism or neuroticism. Dweck (2008) proposed that traits might be altered by changing beliefs. However, novel beliefs must be identified, she contends, because currently studied beliefs are empirically inadequate (e.g., low correlations to broad personality traits) and because a belief’s influence on behavior is usually confined to a particular situation or topic. When psychologists refer to the psychological impact of beliefs about situations, they typically mean local situations: situations individuals can enter and leave (e.g., “This neighborhood is dangerous”). The novel theoretical suggestion of this article is that a person’s basic beliefs about a situation they never leave such as the world (e.g., “This world is dangerous”) are uniquely suited to impact cross-situational behavior patterns often associated with broad personality traits. Historically, general beliefs about the world (termed “primal world beliefs”) were understudied, and many remained unknown, rendering systematic investigation infeasible. However, using several methods that helped identify Big Five traits decades ago, a recent effort seeking to map primal world beliefs found a structure of 26 dimensions (most clustering into the beliefs that the world is Safe, Enticing, and Alive) suggesting promising avenues for primals–personality research. This article presents a nuanced, working, speculative hypothesis future research can explore: Average behavioral tendencies that persist wherever the individual goes (personality traits) theoretically should result from beliefs about the broader situation the individual never leaves (the world).
... Most people want to change some aspects of their personality (Baranski et al., 2021;Hudson & Fraley, 2016b;Thielmann & de Vries, 2021). Recent research indicates that people are able to change in a desired direction with the help of purposeful interventions Hudson et al., 2019;Hudson & Fraley, 2015;Roberts et al., 2017;Stieger et al., 2021). As a byproduct of volitional personality trait change, individuals also experience increases in well-being (Hudson & Fraley, 2016a;Olaru et al., 2023). ...
... Over the last 10 years, personality psychologists have begun to systematically examine personality trait change in non-clinical populations through interventions. This work is rooted in studies of psychotherapy in clinical populations showing that personality traits change even when traits are not the treatment target, independent of the type of therapy and with most changes occurring in the first weeks of treatment (Allemand & Flückiger, 2017;Roberts et al., 2017). Interventions in the form of meditation (Sedlmeier et al., 2012), skills training (Nelis et al., 2011), coaching (Martin-Allan et al., 2019;Massey-Abernathy & Robinson, 2021), cognitive training (Jackson et al., 2012), and substance use treatment have also been shown to produce such accompanying trait changes (Juchem et al., 2024;Stieger et al., 2022). ...
Volitional personality change interventions have been shown to help people change their current personality towards their ideal personality. Here, we address three limitations of this literature. First, we contrast the dominant theoretical perspective of self-improvement with self-acceptance as pathways to reduce the discrepancy between current and ideal personality. Second, we test how well-being aspects change as a by-product of targeting personality. Third, we use a waitlist control group to account for expectancy and demand effects. Across three studies (combined N = 2,094; 1,044 women, 1,050 men; M_age = 30.78, SD_age = 9.70, range_age = 18-105), we implemented randomized online interventions of self-improvement or self-acceptance over a 3-month period, with another follow-up 6 months after baseline and a waitlist control group added in Study 2. Across Studies 1 and 2, participants in both intervention groups reduced discrepancies between current and ideal personality and increased in well-being. In both intervention groups, current personality ratings increased, whereas ideal personality remained stable. Critically, however, control group participants changed in the same fashion, with similar or only slightly smaller effect sizes than participants who received an intervention. Study 3 compared different control group specifications and demonstrated that demand effects elicited by the framing as an intervention explained positive changes in neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extraversion as well as life satisfaction and self-esteem. Thus, the current studies highlight both shortcomings of previous intervention designs and imprecisions in theoretical frameworks of personality change mechanisms. We discuss future directions including multi-method studies, measurement advances, and micro-randomization of intervention components.
... This definition of PF draws on objects relations and mentalization theories [14], which postulate that deficits in regulating the self and relationships (i.e., low levels of PF) are a result of adverse gene-environment interactions in early childhood and predispose individuals to psychopathology in general [19]. Empirically, PF shows less longitudinal stability in mean levels compared to personality traits, except for neuroticism [20], which overlaps significantly with PF [21] and appears more responsive to clinical interventions than other traits [22]. Additionally, PF is associated with various variables related to personality disorders, psychopathology, and psychosocial functioning [23][24][25]. ...
... Directions for future research First, research should investigate PF as a potential treatment indicator and target change in transdiagnostic PF features as outcome. While long-term interventions such as psychotherapy seem to be effective for changing PF [75] and traits [22,76], future research is needed to differentiate the impact on different PF facets. In addition, the development of scalable (digitally aided) interventions that help to support change in PF may be relevant for general healthcare. ...
The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) arranges phenotypes of mental disorders based on empirical covariation, ranging from narrowly defined symptoms to higher-order spectra of psychopathology. Since the introduction of personality functioning (PF) in DSM-5 and ICD-11, several studies have identified PF as a predictor of transdiagnostic aspects of psychopathology. However, the role of PF in the HiTOP classification system has not been systematically examined. This study investigates how PF can be integrated into HiTOP, whether PF accounts for transdiagnostic variance captured in higher-order spectra, and how its predictive value for future affective well-being (AWB) and psychosocial impairment (PSI) compares to the predictive value of specific psychopathology beyond PF. To this end, we examined two years of ambulatory assessed data on psychopathology, PF, PSI, and AWB of N = 27,173 users of a mental health app. Results of bass-ackwards analyses largely aligned with the current HiTOP working model. Using bifactor modeling, aspects of PF were identified to capture most of the internalizing, thought disorder, and externalizing higher-order factor variance. In longitudinal prediction analyses employing bifactor-(S-1) modeling, PF explained 58.6% and 30.6% of variance in PSI and AWB when assessed across one year, respectively, and 33.1% and 23.2% of variance when assessed across two years. Results indicate that personality functioning may largely account for transdiagnostic variance captured in the higher-order components in HiTOP as well as longitudinal outcomes of PSI and AWB. Clinicians and their patients may benefit from assessing PF aspects such as identity problems or internal relationship models in a broad range of mental disorders. Further, incorporating measures of PF may advance research in biological psychiatry by providing empirically sound phenotypes.
... 16 The other study reported decreases in neuroticism 6 months after treatment with psilocybin, 17 but decreases in neuroticism were also present in their control group that was treated with escitalopram, indicating that changes in personality might be part of the therapeutic response in mood disorders. 18 The personality traits neuroticism and extraversion have been linked to mood disorders. Specifically, high ratings in neuroticism and low ratings in extraversion were shown to be predictors of depression and anxiety. ...
... From a therapeutic perspective, high neuroticism and low extraversion are associated with depression and anxiety disorders. 18,21 Changes in these personality traits support the long-lasting therapeutic outcomes and indicate a modulatory deep-lying effect of LSD-assisted therapy. The present study had two different treatment groups, one that received LSD in the first period and one that received LSD in the second period. ...
Background
Anxiety disorders are a major public health burden with limited treatment options.
Aims
We investigated the long-term safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)-assisted therapy in patients with anxiety with or without life-threatening illness.
Method
This study was an a priori -planned long-term follow-up of an investigator-initiated, two-centre trial that used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-period, random-order, crossover design with two sessions with either oral LSD (200 μg) or placebo per period. Participants ( n = 39) were followed up 1 year after the end-of-study visit to assess symptoms of anxiety, depression and long-term effects of psychedelics using Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory–Global (STAI-G), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Persisting Effects Questionnaire and measures of personality traits using the NEO - Five-Factor Inventory.
Results
Participants reported a sustained reduction of STAI-G scores compared with baseline (least square means (95% CI) = −21.6 (−32.7, −10.4), d = 1.04, P < 0.001, for those who received LSD in the first period (94 weeks after the last LSD treatment) and −16.5 (−26.2, −6.8), d = 1.02, P < 0.05, for those who received LSD in the second period (68 weeks after the last LSD treatment)). Similar effects were observed for comorbid depression with change from baseline BDI scores of −8.1 (−13.2, −3.1), d = 0.71, P < 0.01, and −8.9 (−12.9, −4.9), d = 1.21, P < 0.01, for the LSD-first and placebo-first groups, respectively. Personality trait neuroticism decreased ( P < 0.0001) and trait extraversion increased ( P < 0.01) compared with study inclusion. Individuals attributed positive long-term effects to the psychedelic experience.
Conclusions
Patients reported sustained long-term effects of LSD-assisted therapy for anxiety.
... training-can bring about meaningful changes in certain traits, especially during adolescence and early adulthood (Roberts et al., 2017;Allemand & Flückiger, 2017). For instance, studies have demonstrated that agreeableness can be enhanced through interventions that focus on goal-setting, self-reflection, and feedback, which ultimately promote pro-social behaviour and emotional development (Hudson & Fraley, 2015). ...
The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between emotional forgiveness (presence of positive emotions towards the offender and reduction of negative emotions towards the offender) and personality traits (agreeableness, neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness to experience and extraversion) in the perspective of a longitudinal study among juveniles referred by family courts to a probation center or youth educational center. This investigation included 553 juveniles between the ages of 11 and 18. Our findings indicate that agreeableness (T1) is the predictor significantly associated with emotional forgiveness (presence of positive emotions towards the offender, T2). In contrast, neuroticism (T1) was negatively associated with a reduction in negative emotions towards the perpetrator (T2). Agreeableness and neuroticism have an important role in developing forgiveness, which has practical implications in the area of intervention and parenting for juveniles referred by the courts to educational institutions. As a result, juveniles struggling with problems related to their lack of forgiveness skills and abilities may suppress anger and negative emotions. Therefore, such individuals should be systematically motivated to express their emotions in order to learn the skills to regulate and control them, but also to pay attention and take the point of view of others.
... Die Persönlichkeitsmerkmale sind in mehr oder weniger kurzen Abständen stabil, verändern sich wohl aber über längere Zeiträume hinweg altersnormativ, insbesondere beim Übergang vom Jugend-zum Erwachsenenalter (Roberts et al. 2006). Persönlichkeitsmerkmale, das zeigt inzwischen auch empirische Evidenz, können sich auch im Behandlungsverlauf verändern, wohl aber am ehesten nicht global, sondern nur in bestimmten Facetten (Roberts et al. 2017). ...
Zusammenfassung
Funktionelle Beeinträchtigungen bzw. Dysfunktionen bilden den konzeptionellen Rahmen der Klassifikation der Persönlichkeitsstörungen in DSM‑5 und ICD-11. Dysfunktionen repräsentieren die grundlegenden psychologischen und biologischen Systeme, die den Kern der Persönlichkeitsstörungen (P.S.) bilden. Sie implizieren die Bewertung metakognitiver Prozesse im Sinne eines reflexiven Selbst, die untrennbar mit zwischenmenschlichen Prozessen interagieren. Mehr als die Persönlichkeitsmerkmale stehen die Dysfunktionen in Wechselbeziehung mit dem (sozialen) Kontext. Zudem spiegeln sie die dynamischen Aspekte der P.S. wider, die sowohl die akute, situationsabhängige Variabilität, also auch die langsamen Oszillationen im Zusammenhang mit entwicklungsbedingten und chronischen Herausforderungen, einschließen. Schließlich sind Dysfunktionen das Target therapeutischen Handelns auf der Grundlage eines Verständnisses der Prozesse, die Veränderung unterliegen.
... This may be more feasible than people often assume. Instead of being stable and unchanging, recent evidence from studies of volitional personality change (Hudson et al., 2020;Rufino et al., 2024) and clinical interventions (Roberts et al., 2017a(Roberts et al., , 2017b suggest that personality dispositions can be changed with interventions. ...
This study investigated the associations between personality traits of the Five Factor Model and cardiovascular mortality, with a specific focus on whether pre-existing cardiovascular conditions modified these associations. We used data from 43,027 participants across five cohort studies: Health and Retirement Study (HRS); Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS); National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP); Midlife in the United States (MIDUS); Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) with a mean age 55.9 years and 6493 individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. We conducted meta-analyses examining conscientiousness, emotional stability, agreeableness, openness to experience, and extraversion in relation to mortality due to coronary heart disease and stroke. During a mean follow-up of 12.1 years, 1620 participants died from coronary heart disease and 454 from stroke. Lower conscientiousness was associated with higher mortality risk from both coronary heart disease (hazard ratio per 1SD = 0.82, 95%CI = 0.75–0.90) and stroke (HR = 0.84, CI = 0.72–0.99). Lower emotional stability predicted increased coronary heart disease mortality (HR = 0.91, CI = 0.85–0.97). The association between conscientiousness and cardiovascular mortality did not differ between individuals with or without baseline cardiovascular conditions. In addition, adjustments for health behaviors and other covariates only slightly attenuated this association. Other personality traits were not associated with cardiovascular disease mortality. Our findings highlight the role of low conscientiousness, and to a lesser extent low emotional stability, in the development and progression of fatal cardiovascular disease through pathways that may extend beyond established health behaviors.
... The participants were equipped with a GPS system (Carling et al., 2009), which allowed the measurement of performance variables during four consecutive games played over two tournaments in a six-month period obtaining four measurements in the same group of players. This time frame was chosen because previous literature tracked changes in personality traits over a 1-to-6-month period (Alessandri et al., 2020;Roberts et al., 2017;Stieger et al., 2022). The performance variables measured are detailed below: ...
Mental toughness is a concept that has been considered a critical feature of sporting success. However, there are still conceptual issues related to its traitness and its relationship with sporting performance that remain unresolved. Consequently, the objective of this research is to contrast empirically whether the eventual changes in MT and its relationships with competition phases and sporting performance can sustain the notion of MT as a state or a trait. A longitudinal study included 12 male Chilean rugby players, aged 18-33 years, which regularly competed at the highest national level. The results indicated that there are no significant differences in mental toughness between the four measurements taken in the study and that the competitive phase did not predict mental toughness properties enduring across contexts and time. In addition, the data showed that mental toughness is an important predictor of relevant behavioural variables and sporting performance.
... Absolute changes in NEO-PI-R Demoralization and Neuroticism were similar and not significantly different in the first wave of the study, suggesting that these changes do involve reductions in distress but that the personality trait neuroticism is sensitive to these reductions as well (Haehner et al., 2023). This corresponds to previous research showing that neuroticism declines sharply in psychotherapy (Roberts et al., 2017). However, another possible interpretation is that both demoralization and adjusted neuroticism (as well as the diagnostic interviews which were the basis for concluding symptom reduction) are influenced by moodrelated artifacts and that the approach we took in this study to distinguish demoralization from trait neuroticism is not effective in isolating these differences. ...
This study examined whether reductions in the severity of personality disorders (PD) mainly reflect changes in personality traits or rather an alleviation of a demoralized state involving nonspecific unpleasant affect. We used 4 years of longitudinal data from the Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study, in which patients (N = 419) completed the Neuroticism–Extraversion–Openness Personality Inventory–Revised (NEO-PI-R) three times over 4 years (at baseline and at 6-month and 4-year follow-up assessments). We compared the NEO Demoralization scale with NEO-PI-R domain scales adjusted for demoralization-related items to determine whether changes in demoralization are more pronounced than changes in adjusted personality traits. Results showed that adjusted Neuroticism and Demoralization changed at similar rates and both changed more than other traits. These changes were most pronounced in the first 6 months and tapered thereafter. Rank-order correlations were somewhat lower for Demoralization than adjusted traits. Our findings suggest that decreases in PD symptoms over time have to do with reductions in negative affect and that Demoralization as assessed via a subset of NEO-PI-R items is limited in its ability to distinguish negative affect from trait Neuroticism.
... However, such a perspective may be misplaced for two reasons. First, research has challenged the notion that dispositional constructs are not manipulable; rather, they have been shown to be sensitive to change (e.g., Malouff & Schutte 2017, Roberts et al 2017. Disposition change is dependent on relatively long-term, intensive interventions, effect sizes are small, and whether the changes are enduring is unclear. ...
This review provides a critical overview of current evidence on psychological health behavior determinants and its value in informing intervention and future determinants research. The review begins with work labeling and classifying the myriads of determinants available in the extant research to arrive at core groups of determinants. Next, the conceptual bases of these determinant groups are identified, and the weight of the evidence for their purported effects on health behavior, including belief-based determinants (e.g., outcome expectancies, capacity beliefs), determinants representing self-regulatory capacity (e.g., planning, action control) and nonconscious processes (e.g., habit, implicit cognition), and dispositional determinants (e.g., personality, regulatory control), is critically evaluated. The review also focuses on the theory-based mechanisms underpinning determinant effects and moderating conditions that magnify or diminish them. Finally, the review recommends a shift away from research on determinants as correlates, outlines how determinants can inform intervention development and mechanisms of action tests, suggests alternatives to predominant individualist approaches, and proposes future research directions.
... Generally, though, research on personality change through interventions is still in its infancy, and there is not yet enough empirical evidence for a more conclusive answer to its effectiveness. Nevertheless, a meta-analysis of the existing body of research provides optimistic estimates regarding the malleability of personality, particularly regarding changes in emotional stability (Roberts et al., 2017). ...
Crime is an issue with severe consequences for individuals, economies, and society at large. Developing effective crime prevention strategies requires a clear understanding of who is likely to engage in crime and why. A promising approach in this regard likely is integrating established criminological theories with established models of basic personality structure. Correspondingly, the present investigation derives hypotheses from three criminological theories—self-control theory/general theory of crime, situational action theory, and general strain theory—on the relation between the HEXACO personality dimensions and crime. The preregistered hypotheses were tested by linking HEXACO data of a Danish adult personality panel (N = 12,496) to official records on all criminal convictions of the participants registered within the past 41 years. Results revealed negative associations of honesty-humility, emotionality, agreeableness vs. anger, and conscientiousness with crime (.71 ≤ odds ratios ≤ .88); except for agreeableness, effects were robust to controlling for relevant background variables (e.g., sex, age, education, income). The relation of the HEXACO dimensions varied only slightly across different types of offenses (e.g., interpersonal crimes, property crimes). In sum, this investigation provides a robust theoretical and empirical basis for how personality relates to crime.
... However, given studies indicating that disease progression can influence behavior changes (Mesquita et al., 2017;Waschki et al., 2015), it would be valuable to include health status evolution during follow-up in future research to examine its potential confounding effects and to explore its mediating and moderating roles in the relationship between personality and behavior changes in CRD patients. Moreover, although personality at baseline was associated with changes in PA and SB following PR, there is evidence suggesting that individual dispositions can also change in response to clinical interventions (Roberts et al., 2017). To our knowledge, there is a lack of research on the impact of PR on personality changes, yet observational studies suggest that specific components of PR programs such as PA, smoking cessation, or psychological interventions may influence the evolution of personality (Allen, Magee, et al., 2017;Littlefield & Sher, 2012;Stephan, Sutin, Luchetti, et al., 2018). ...
Objective: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is the gold standard treatment for improving the health status of individuals with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD). However, to achieve lasting results, the adoption and maintenance of a physically active lifestyle are necessary. Unfortunately, the trajectories of change in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) following PR are marked by a high degree of heterogeneity between patients. This study aimed to better understand the factors underlying this variability by investigating the role played by the personality as defined by the five-factor model. Design: Eighty eight CRD patients were assessed on personality upon PR admission (Time 1). PA and SB were assessed at Time 1 and 6 months post-PR (Time 2) using questionnaires. Results: Multiple regression analyses revealed that “healthy neuroticism” is associated with an increase in PA 6 months after PR (β = .20, p < .05) independently of the PA at Time 1. A high level of neuroticism, when it is paired with a low level of conscientiousness, is related to an increase in SB 6 months after PR (β = −.20, p < .01), when the SB and exercise tolerance at Time 1 were controlled for. Conclusion: These findings highlight that investigating the interaction between personality traits is relevant to a better understanding of the interindividual differences in changes in PA and SB after PR in patients with CRD. The behavioral effects of PR could be improved if patients’ personality traits were taken into account in the design of behavior-change interventions.
... The younger the intended audience is, the more playful the language prototype should be (see Russ, 2003, 2013, and Vygotsky, 2004, for more on play and development). One should keep in mind that the younger the person the educator communicates with -and the participants in the present study will teach students as young as six years -the less stable and more malleable the personality traits are, as is evident in the level of trait stability coefficients across a lifetime (Bleidorn et al., 2022;Roberts & DelVecchio, 2000;Roberts et al., 2017). The study may suggest that when one is explicitly expected to listen, learn, speak, read or write as the contingently rewarded educational outcomes, one may over time be conditioned to display (if having) or emulate and develop (if not having) the necessary, sufficient or supportive personality traits and their effective multivariate combinations for that language construct. ...
The present research aims to bridge the gap between prospective multi/ plurilingual education and overarching personality psychology by examining how language constructs and basic personality traits are interrelated in pre-service teachers who are fundamental to language education. The first part of the study identifies items within the International Personality Item Pool that are indicative of language constructs, revealing intricate language-related expressions of personality involving listening, learning, speaking, reading and writing. The second part investigates the links between these language constructs and the Big Five personality traits based on a sample of 124 female pre-service primary school teachers aged 19 to 27. The results show significant multivariate relationships, indicating that individuals high in conscientiousness, openness and extraversion, and low in neuroticism, tend to exhibit preferences for listening, learning, speaking and reading. The findings suggest that there are personality-embedded nuanced language-related expressions of trait structures reflecting psychological needs for language competence, relatedness and autonomy in (co-)creation. The research underscores the importance of considering both language constructs and internationally validated personality traits in teachers and their students. It suggests that some teachers and students may naturally align with language-trait structures conducive to quality language teaching and, prospectively, to multi/plurilingual proficiency. Additionally, educational interventions can potentially influence the development of these identified conducive structures over time, offering insights into the stable psychological foundations for language development and consequent pluricultural competence.
... By delineating multiple determinants, the model points to tailored interventions across each element. For example, personality research indicates cognitive behavioral therapies and skills training programs can strengthen impulse control and self-regulation among youth prone to risk-taking, a common cybercrime correlate (Roberts et al., 2017). Online safety education in schools can increase awareness of victimization risks associated with identity construction, relationships and information disclosure online. ...
This article introduces the Integrated Model of Cybercrime Dynamics (IMCD), a novel theoretical framework for examining the complex interplay between individual characteristics, online behavior, environmental factors, and outcomes related to cybercrime offending and victimization. The model incorporates key concepts from existing theories, empirical evidence, and interdisciplinary perspectives to provide a comprehensive framework. In contrast to traditional criminological theories, the proposed model integrates concepts from multiple disciplines to offer a holistic framework that captures the complexity of cybercrime and specifically caters for the uniqueness of cyberspace. The article will provide a detailed overview of the conceptual model, its theoretical underpinnings drawing from criminology and victimology, empirical support for the key components and relationships. The article will conclude by discussing the significance of the IMCD for advancing cybercrime theory, guiding future research, informing prevention/intervention efforts, and ultimately combating the growing challenge of cybercrime in the digital age.
... [41][42][43][44][45][46][47] In a 1,523-participant RCT, 48 a 3-month digital intervention was effective for the intended change in conscientiousness, a finding corroborated in a metaanalysis of over 200 interventional studies. 49 The preventive implications and policy relevance of increasing conscientiousness on delaying dementia onset and identifying the optimal time frames for its maximum protective effect on AAO merit verification in future well-controlled RCTs using a life-course approach. ...
Background and objectives:
It remains unknown whether the associations between protective lifestyles and sporadic dementia risk reported in observational studies also affect age at symptom onset (AAO) in autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease (ADAD) with predominant genetic influences. We investigated the associations between resilience-related life experiences and interindividual AAO variability in ADAD.
Methods:
We performed a longitudinal and confirmatory analysis of the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network prospective observational cohort (January 2009-June 2018, follow-up duration 2.13 ± 2.22 years), involving clinical, CSF, and lifestyle/behavioral assessments. We performed a 2-pronged comprehensive resilience assessment in each cohort. Cohort 1, incorporating the general resilience definition (cognitive maintenance [Clinical Dementia Rating = 0] despite high pathology), included carriers during the periods of significant CSFp-tau181 variability and grouped into resilience/resistance outcome bins according to the dichotomous pathologic and cognitive statuses, subcategorized by the estimated years from expected symptom onset (EYO). Cohort 2, focused on ADAD-specific genetically determined time frame characterizing the onset predictability, included asymptomatic participants with available preclinical lifestyle data and AAO outcomes and grouped into delayed or earlier AAO relative to the parental AAO. Associations of cognitive, CSFp-tau181, and lifestyle/behavioral predictors with binary outcomes were investigated using logistic regression.
Results:
Of 320 carriers (age 38.19 ± 10.94 years, female 56.25%), cohort 1 included 218 participants (39.00 ± 9.37 years, 57.34%) and cohort 2 included 28 participants (43.34 ± 7.40 years, 71.43%). In cohort 1, 218 carriers after -20 EYO, when the interindividual variability (SD) of CSFp-tau181 first became more than twice greater in carriers than in noncarriers, were grouped into low-risk control (asymptomatic, low pathology, n = 103), high-resilience (asymptomatic despite high pathology, n = 60), low-resilience (symptomatic despite low pathology, n = 15), and susceptible control (symptomatic, high pathology, n = 40) groups. Multivariable predictors of high resilience, controlling for age and depression, included higher conscientiousness (odds ratio 1.051 [95% CI 1.016-1.086], p = 0.004), openness to experience (1.068 [1.005-1.135], p = 0.03) (vs. susceptible controls), and agreeableness (1.082 [1.015-1.153], p = 0.02) (vs. low resilience). From 1 to 3 years before parental AAO (cohort 2), the multivariable predictor of delayed AAO, controlling for CSFp-tau181, was higher conscientiousness (0.916 [0.845-0.994], p = 0.036).
Discussion:
Among the cognitively and socially integrated life experiences associated with resilience, measures of conscientiousness were useful indicators for evaluating resilience and predicting future dementia onset in late preclinical ADAD.
... Increasing evidence suggests that neuroticism is associated with a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including mental disorders [8,9], cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases [10], endocrine disorders [11], and cancer [12]. Neuroticism is a robust and highly heritable personality trait [13], however, some studies have shown that the stability of neuroticism decreases gradually over time [14], and that personality traits can be modified through interventions [15]. This provides the possibility of intervening in neuroticism levels for the prevention and treatment of diseases mediated by it. ...
Background
The causality between neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by the tendency to experience negative emotions, and female reproductive diseases remains unclear. To provide evidence for the development of effective screening and prevention strategies, this study employed Mendelian randomization (MR) to investigate the causality between neuroticism clusters and female reproductive diseases.
Methods
Instrumental variables were obtained from large-scale genome-wide association studies of populations of European descent involving three neuroticism clusters (depressed affect, worry, sensitivity to environmental stress, and adversity [SESA]) in the Complex Trait Genetics database and six female reproductive diseases (infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome [PCOS], spontaneous abortion, recurrent spontaneous abortion, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids) in the FinnGen database. The bidirectional two-sample MR analysis was conducted using the inverse variance-weighted, weighted median, and MR-Egger methods, whereas the sensitivity analysis was conducted using the Cochran’s Q-test, MR-Egger intercept, and leave-one-out analysis.
Results
In the forward analysis, genetically predicted depressed affect and worry components of neuroticism significantly increased the risk of infertility (depressed affect: odds ratio [OR] = 1.399, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.054–1.856, p = 0.020; worry: OR = 1.587, 95% CI: 1.229–2.049, p = 0.000) and endometriosis (depressed affect: OR = 1.611, 95% CI: 1.234–2.102, p = 0.000; worry: OR = 1.812, 95% CI: 1.405–2.338, p = 0.000). Genetically predicted SESA component of neuroticism increased only the risk of endometriosis (OR = 1.524, 95% CI: 1.104–2.103, p = 0.010). In the reverse analysis, genetically predicted PCOS was causally associated with an increased risk of the worry component of neuroticism (Beta = 0.009, 95% CI: 0.003–0.016, p = 0.003).
Conclusions
The MR study showed that the three neuroticism personality clusters had definite causal effects on at least one specific female reproductive disease. Moreover, PCOS may increase the risk of the worry component of neuroticism. This finding suggests the need to screen for specific female reproductive diseases in populations with high neuroticism and assess the psychological status of patients with PCOS.
... Maybe, a large part of people's (global) identity is rather stable, and a one-time VR experience is not strong enough to have such effects. However, even stable traits can be altered by repeated experiences and interventions (Anusic & Schimmack, 2016;Roberts et al., 2017). Hence, more intensive (and immersive) engagement with the blue marble may be more transformational. ...
... These theoretical advances might in turn be beneficial and have practical implications for the conceptualization of interventions in adolescent samples. Reflecting on our results, one could conclude that interventions targeted at changes in Big Five traits by promoting certain patterns of acting, thinking, and feelings (see Roberts et al., 2017, for a systematic review) should have positive side effects on self-esteem change. So, if adolescents change something about their typical patterns of behavior, the typical way they think about the This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. ...
Adolescence is a formative life phase for the development of personality characteristics. Although past findings suggest Big Five traits alongside self-esteem as indicators for successful development, little is known about their longitudinal interplay. We addressed this research gap by integrating data from three longitudinal studies (NT1 = 1,088; Mage = 16.02 years, 72% female). We apply continuous time modeling to investigate longitudinal associations between Big Five traits and self-esteem in a period of up to 1 year. Results illustrate four main findings: First, rank-order stabilities were overall high for all personality characteristics. Second, longitudinal associations between Big Five traits and self-esteem were reciprocal for extraversion, neuroticism, and openness but one-sided for agreeableness and conscientiousness on self-esteem. Effects peaked within the first month and mostly faded after 2 months. Third, the majority of cross-effects were similar in size; however, the effect from neuroticism on later values of self-esteem was stronger than vice versa. Fourth, most effects were robust against influences of gender, age, and study characteristics. Analyses with acquaintance-reports supported the results but suggested stronger effects that lasted longer than effects of self-reports. We conclude that the development of personality characteristics acts as possible sources of development for each other. All in all, the interplay between Big Five and self-esteem development appears reciprocal for some traits but was most often driven by Big Five traits. We integrate our findings into three contrasting theoretical perspectives and discuss the importance of time for a better understanding of personality development.
... Existing research on personality changes during the COVID-19 pandemic is limited and marked by inconsistencies (Condon & Weston, 2021;Kyle et al., 2024;Rudolph & Zacher, 2023;Sutin et al., 2020Sutin et al., , 2022. interventions (see, e.g., Roberts et al., 2017;Rek et al., 2023, Wright et al., 2015. ...
The COVID-19 pandemic, marked by the threat of infection, severe illness, and stringent public health measures, has significantly transformed the lives of individuals. This challenging scenario provides a valuable context for examining the potential impact of such disruption on maladaptive personality traits—dispositions that can lead to distress, impaired functioning, and difficulty adapting to the environment. Using data from the GESIS panel (N = 4,742), which is broadly representative of the German adult population, this study examined maladaptive personality traits based on the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders in DSM-5. Maladaptive traits were assessed twice: four months before (October/November 2019) and eight months after the outbreak of the pandemic in Germany, during its ongoing phase (October/November 2020). Longitudinal measurement invariance was established for all trait domains except detachment. Results show increases in maladaptive traits, particularly antagonism (d = 0.26), disinhibition (0.12), and psychoticism (0.12). Additionally, maladaptive traits were associated with future negative life outcomes. Furthermore, romantic relationship conflict appeared to be a relevant adverse event spurring increases in maladaptive trait levels. Our results suggest a detrimental psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the German population, and shed light on a possible reciprocal amplification between maladaptive traits and adverse life circumstances.
... Our results for negative urgency contradict the view expressed recently by Fisher-Fox, Prestigiacomo, and Cyders (2024) that targeting urgency in a treatment setting may not be a viable approach. Our results indicate that traits of psychopathy, like other personality traits such as neuroticism and extraversion, are modifiable with psychotherapy regardless of the type of therapy (Roberts et al. 2017). But with the passage of time, individuals' psychopathic traits reasserted themselves. ...
Background
Those with cooccurring antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) are reported to be highly psychopathic and to represent a severe challenge to treatment efforts. In a sample of such individuals, the effects of two treatments, mentalization‐based therapy (MBT) and the unified protocol (UP), were investigated on three outcomes: (i) the psychopathy trait domains of meanness, boldness and disinhibition proposed by the triarchic psychopathy model (TPM); (ii) antisocial and borderline symptom severity; and (iii) the severity of their common features including impulsivity, anger expression and self‐harm.
Methods
Of 163 individuals with BPD + ASPD screened for eligibility, 55 were randomized to MBT treatment and 53 to UP treatment. Outcomes of treatment were assessed at 6‐month intervals to 36 months.
Results
Short‐term reductions were seen following both treatments in traits of psychopathy, antisocial and borderline personality symptom severity, anger dysregulation, impulsivity and self‐harm, but both treatment groups showed almost complete relapse of symptoms at the 36‐month follow‐up. UP had more durable effects than MBT.
Conclusions
Despite being a considerably shorter treatment, UP was at least as effective as MBT and in some respects superior. Remission of symptoms was not achieved by either treatment in the long term. Psychopathy and borderline/antisocial comorbidity with which it is associated are to some extent remediable through psychotherapy, but only in the short term.
Clinical Implications
Patients with high levels of impulsivity and disinhibition are likely to relapse following psychotherapy and should be closely monitored after treatment.
... Given the varying focuses and target demographics of these models, further research is imperative to explore CSI's application using these frameworks individually to guide the design of interventions and evaluate their post-intervention effects. A large metaanalysis involving 207 studies highlighted the potential of common intervention modalities to modify character strengths (Roberts et al., 2017). Future studies should consider incorporating measures of changes in signature character strengths when designing interventions aimed at reducing psychological distress. ...
Positive psychological therapy has been found to be effective in psychological health in the broader cancer patient population. However, specific evidence regarding its effectiveness for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients remains limited. More research is needed to determine the optimal approaches for alleviating distress in this particular group. We evaluated the efficacy of character strength-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CS-CBT) versus cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for distress in AYA patients with cancer. In a randomized controlled three-arm trial, cancer patients aged 15-39 years were assigned to one of three groups using a random number table to ensure equal group sizes: (1) CS-CBT, which incorporated specific exercises focused on identifying and utilizing character strengths within the CBT framework; (2) CBT; or (3) control group. The primary outcome was improvement in patients’ overall mental health on the Distress Thermometer and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale 3 months after assignment to the groups. Analyses used generalized estimating equations. A total of 162 AYAs were randomly and equally assigned to three groups. Improvements in primary outcomes were significantly greater after CS-CBT than after CBT, and no significant differences were found between the CBT and control group. Among all primary and secondary outcomes, the only non-significant difference found was in quality of life with CS-CBT compared to CBT. AYA cancer patients rated their overall mental health and sense of thriving as more improved after CS-CBT than after CBT. However, quality-of-life indicators supported equal intervention effects in both groups. These findings support the effectiveness of the use of CS-CBT intervention in reducing distress and improving thriving.
... Consistent with reports from more experienced providers , graduate students in clinical psychology programs feel less trained and competent to treat ANT-patients than NA-patients. Episodes of care with ANT-patients (if completed) were perceived to be less effective, which is consistent with the meta-analytic finding that trait antagonism tends to change less in response to intervention compared to the negative affectivity (Roberts et al., 2017), although some change was noted. Additionally, adult-focused students reported that compared to NA-adults, treatment with ANT-adults was less enjoyable, they felt less empathy for and more discomfort around these patients, and they viewed them as less good people. ...
The objective of this preregistered study was to gather evidence on training and clinical experiences offered by clinical psychology doctoral programs on the treatment of antagonism—a construct from the personality and psychopathology literature that captures individual differences in aggressiveness, callousness, grandiosity, domineering, and manipulativeness. We surveyed current graduate students (N = 376) in APA-accredited clinical psychology doctoral programs (Mage = 28.4; 83.2% female; 65.2% White) about their experiences in training and treatment of antagonistic patients (ANT-patients) as well as experiences with patients with predominant negative affect (NA; e.g., anxious and depressed). Students reported significantly less training to treat antagonism compared to NA (|ds| = 0.43–2.88), as well as lower rates of direct clinical experience, generally poorer treatment experiences, and stronger countertransference reactions (|ds| = 0.53–1.40). These discrepancies were especially large for adult-focused students compared to child/adolescent-focused students. In fact, adult-focused students reported a mean competency rating of M = 1.71, between the scalar points not competent at all (1) and a little bit competent (2). Overall, these results indicate a lack of training and competence to treat antagonism among current graduate students, especially adult-focused students. We believe the crux of this issue is a field-wide lack of robust empirical work on antagonism treatments (for adults). Moving forward, we implore researchers and funding agencies to help address this substantial gap, which is both an ethical and practical imperative.
... One of the most recent observations in personality science is that personality traits can be Roberts et al., 2017). In the context of personality interventions, 163 participants can be supported in modifying their behavioral, affective, and thought patterns with 164 challenges (e.g., "ask a friend to coffee"), implementation intentions (e.g., "if it is Monday at 165 9:00, I will go jogging"), instructional feedback (i.e., coaching) or self-reflection exercises showing that the number of completed behavioral challenges during a 15-week timespan 170 predicted trait change in the desired direction. ...
Recent studies suggest that personality traits can be changed through volitional change efforts such as personality interventions. However, there is limited empirical research on which factors explain individual differences in intervention gains. Based on suggestions from recent personality development theories and intervention frameworks, we 1) examined whether achieved personality state changes during an intervention explain differences in the degree of trait change and 2) whether individual differences in change could be explained by participants’ motivation and intervention engagement. The study was based on a 12-week personality intervention with a total of 1,523 participants. Personality states were assessed on a daily and weekly basis, whereas personality traits were measured with self- and observer-reports at the beginning and end of the intervention. Participants who deviated in their states most strongly from their initial trait level also changed more in their trait levels in the corresponding direction. Both state and trait changes were stronger if participants a) were more committed to their change goal, b) believed more strongly in the changeability of personality traits, c) completed more implementation intentions, and d) enjoyed their implementations more (i.e., reinforcement). In contrast, the strength of the desire to change, expected attainability, opportunities identified for practice, difficulty of the implementation intentions, and preference for self-reflection or behavioral practice did not systematically predict change. Taken together, these findings provide support for most of the central components of volitional change theories and can help guide future individualized intervention efforts.
... Mental health and emotional well-being are common targets of psychological intervention. Trait-like characteristics, such as aspects of personality, have historically been viewed as less amenable to purposeful intervention (Bleidorn et al., 2022) but are implicated in adaptive functioning (AF) across the life course, with effects on health, relationship success, job satisfaction, and longevity (Roberts et al., 2017;Vaughan & Oldham, 2023). Converging evidence increasingly shows that such traits change gradually across adulthood and are sensitive both to clinical and non-clinical interventions, particularly when individuals are motivated to change (Allemand & Flückiger, 2022;Hudson et al., 2020). ...
Considerable research has now documented the beneficial effects of mindfulness-based practices on psychological functioning. Less is known about the long-term durability of such changes following formal meditation training. In a sample of adults (N = 67, 52% female, ages 22-70 years), we examined changes in 16 measures of psychological adaptive functioning across a 3-month residential meditation intervention and across a subsequent 7-year period. We observed general training-related improvements followed by multi-year returns toward pre-training levels. However, beneficial changes in two personality attributes (agreeableness and neuroticism) were of moderate effect size (d = 0.51 and d = 0.45, respectively) and were retained across the 7-year follow-up. We further found that individual variation in changes was represented by three latent attributes: (Changes related to) Mindful Well-being, Resilient Extraversion, and Self-Compassionate Openness. These results suggest that intensive meditation training is associated with improved adaptive functioning and enduring changes in aspects of personality.
... Specifically, we now know that personality traits are more malleable than we thought before (see Bleidorn et al., 2019). Interestingly, neuroticism has particularly been shown to be susceptible to change through direct interventions-more so than other personality traits (Roberts et al., 2017). For example, studies by Caprara and colleagues (Alessandri et al., 2018;Caprara et al., 2013) have shown that increasing regulatory emotional self-efficacy beliefs in managing negative emotions (RESE-NE) leads to a reduction in individuals' neuroticism levels. ...
Vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of parasympathetic modulation of the heart, which is considered an index of the ability to regulate emotional arousal attuned to environmental demands. The present study explores the association between HRV and exhaustion—the core symptom of burnout. Based on the multilevel model of employee well-being, we hypothesize that neuroticism moderates the relationship between HRV and exhaustion. We collected data among 271 workers (57.92% women, mean age M = 41.21 years, SD = 13.94), whose HRV was measured over the course of one working day, while exhaustion was measured at the end of the same working day. Neuroticism and covariates were measured at baseline, prior to the examined working day. Results from multiple linear regression models revealed that HRV was negatively related to exhaustion, even after controlling for exhaustion measured at baseline. In addition, as hypothesized, trait neuroticism moderated the negative association between HRV and exhaustion at the end of the working day such that it was stronger for workers high (i.e., +1 SD) versus low (i.e., −1 SD) in neuroticism. The test for constant variance pointed to high-neuroticism workers with low HRV as the group more at-risk of developing exhaustion-related symptoms. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
Life events have been theorized to elicit personality trait changes. However, the empirical evidence for event-related personality development remains inconclusive. Even comprehensive reviews and meta-analyses are limited by the availability of effect sizes, the control for relevant confounders, and the examination of the temporal unfolding of effects. To overcome these limitations, we conducted a coordinated data analysis and examined event-related personality changes across seven large-scale panel studies (Ntotal = 196,256). Furthermore, we investigated corresponding event-related changes in life satisfaction and self-esteem as benchmarks for the interpretation of effect sizes. Integrating the results across panel studies, we found several consistent changes in the Big Five personality traits in response to life events. For example, new employment predicted increases in conscientiousness and emotional stability, whereas marriage predicted a decrease in openness. However, event-related changes in the Big Five personality traits were small (average bstd = 0.08), with effect sizes being similar to those of event-related changes in self-esteem but smaller than corresponding changes in life satisfaction. Building on these findings, future research should focus on the life events with replicable effects on personality development and examine how these life events lead to personality changes by examining associated changes in daily life.
Volitional trait change—the idea that people can willfully change their personality—marks an important advancement for personality science beyond historic views of traits as relatively immutable. We applaud Dupré and Wille's (2024) extension and application of how volitional trait change could impact personnel selection. In this response, we aim to contribute to this discussion by focusing on three critical considerations for the applicability of PDGs to personnel selection—time (how quickly traits can change), degree (how much traits can change), and perspective (who perceives trait change). We concur that personality development has untapped potential in personnel selection and offer suggestions and caveats for how organizations might best realize it. We are excited about a new frontier in extending personality development to organizational settings and are optimistic that doing so would appreciably benefit employees, organizations, and the selection literature.
Life events have been theorized to cause personality trait changes. However, people differ in their personality trait trajectories after experiencing important life events. Although several studies have examined the sources of these individual differences, a replicable set of variables explaining individual differences in the reaction to major life events has yet to be identified. In a systematic literature review (Study 1), we integrated existing evidence on potentially important moderators of event-related changes in the Big Five personality traits (23 studies, Ntotal = 82,374). This review showed that (1) only a limited set of moderators has been linked to individual differences in event-related personality trait changes so far, and (2) that there are vast differences in the methods used to examine these effects across studies, complicating meta-analytical integration. To overcome these limitations, we conducted a coordinated data analysis (Study 2), generating novel and robust evidence for associations between a broad set of psychological, demographic, event-related, and contextual characteristics and event-related personality trait changes. Across eight large-scale panel studies (Ntotal = 90,934, Nobs = 391,024), we found several replicable moderators of event-related personality changes. For example, age and psychological variables such as life satisfaction moderated personality trait changes across datasets. Even though the effect sizes of the moderators were (very) small (bMedian = 0.007, ΔR 2 Median = 0.16%), the findings of the coordinated data analysis contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of event-related personality change, critical for the advancement of contemporary personality development theories.
We critically evaluate Dupré and Wille's (2024) proposal for using assessments for organizational personality development through the lens of empirical evidence on adult personality change. We present an overview of research on personality stability and malleability throughout adulthood examining rank‐order stability, mean‐level changes, and the impact of life events and interventions. Empirical evidence reveals that while personality exhibits some plasticity in young adulthood, significant changes become increasingly rare beyond age 30. For older employees, personality remains highly stable, making age an important consideration in workforce development. Life experiences and intentional interventions have been shown to prompt modest personality changes, with emotional stability being the most malleable trait. We quantify these changes, noting shifts of up to two‐thirds of a standard deviation in emotional stability through targeted interventions, with more limited effects on other Big Five traits. We also provide insights for organizational assessment practices, including the need for tailored personality (re‐)assessment intervals and age‐based norm composition for better utilization of personality information. With Cybernetic Trait Complexes Theory, we introduce a framework for aligning personality traits with situational cues in work environments. This approach emphasizes trait activation rather than personality modification, allowing organizations to harness employees' strengths by strategically designing environments that naturally encourage beneficial trait expression. This shifts the focus from personality change to strategic activation of beneficial traits through environmental design. We describe how organizations can leverage employees' existing personality trait complexes while fostering incremental behavioral adaptations, offering a pragmatic alternative to traditional employee development approaches. By aligning individuals with environments that activate their traits, organizations can enhance both personal and organizational outcomes, contributing to broader societal benefits as well.
Research has suggested that the endorsement of ideologies supporting the status quo leads to higher subjective psychological well-being—an idea labeled as the palliative function of ideology within system justification theory. Furthermore, this approach has suggested that this association should be moderated by social status. Specifically, the association between the endorsement of ideologies supporting the status quo and well-being should be positive among high-status groups and negative among low-status groups—mainly as a function of the existence of a unique motivation to justify the status quo. Given contradictory evidence in previous studies, we conducted a meta-analysis to test these ideas. Across 1,627 studies and 1,856,940 participants, we observed a meta-analytic association between endorsement of ideologies supporting the status quo and well-being of r = .07, p < .001. Nonetheless, we did not find evidence supportive of the moderator role of social status. These results provide partial evidence supporting the main tenets of system justification theory, and they are inconsistent with the idea of the existence of a unique motivation to justify the status quo.
Background
Hopelessness is present in up 52% of patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Lower perceived social support (PSS) has been associated with greater hopelessness in a pilot study of patients with IHD reporting moderate-severe hopelessness but has not been examined in a larger sample reporting none-severe levels of hopelessness and while controlling for covariates.
Objective
The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between PSS and hopelessness in patients with IHD.
Methods
Using a cross-sectional design, 178 participants were enrolled while hospitalized for an IHD event at 1 large hospital in the United States. Data collection occurred 2 weeks after hospital discharge using the State-Trait Hopelessness Scale, ENRICHD Social Support Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, a demographic form, and a medical record abstraction form. Linear models were used to assess the association between variables in unadjusted models and models adjusted for demographic and medical history.
Results
Most participants were male (67%), married (67%), and non-Hispanic White (92%) and underwent coronary artery bypass surgery (61%). There was a moderate inverse correlation between PSS and state ( r = −0.31, P < .001) and trait ( r = −0.28, P < .001) hopelessness in unadjusted models. The relationships remained significant in adjusted models and did not differ by sex, type of IHD event, or marital status.
Conclusions
Lower PSS was associated with greater hopelessness in patients with IHD. Assessing PSS and hopelessness during hospitalization for an IHD event may enable clinicians to provide targeted interventions to reduce risk of hopelessness and improve secondary prevention in patients with IHD.
Consistencies in how and what a person thinks, feels, enacts, and wants (i.e., momentary states) lie at the core of personality definitions and thus at the heart of personality psychology. Unfortunately, the systematic conceptualization and examination of state consistencies has stagnated after the person-situation debate. Moreover, past research has predominantly focused on consistencies of individual differences, neglecting consistencies that play out in the life of the individual. While the study of between-person consistencies provides evidence for the existence of personality characteristics, we argue that person- specific within-person consistencies are necessary to draw inferences about a person’s individuality. To reignite the examination of individual-level state consistencies, we present a framework of basic person-specific consistency types. For the proposed consistencies, we provide examples, discuss their interpretation and relevance, and relate them to prominent theoretical accounts within personality psychology. We conclude with advocating for a stronger focus on person-specific approaches and individuality.
Soziale Wahrnehmungen und positiv erlebte soziale Interaktionen sind wichtig für spätere Erfahrungen in heterogenen Gruppen, kultureller Vielfalt und inklusiven Bildungskontexten. Basierend auf sozialkognitiven Theorien sind aus zahlreichen Studien Erkenntnisse zur Bedeutung von Motivation in der Schule vorhanden. Relativ wenig beforscht sind jedoch Längsschnittbeziehungen zwischen der schulischen Lernoder Leistungszielorientierung von Schüler:innen und ihrer späteren Wahrnehmung sozialer Beziehungen zu anderen Kindern in der Schule. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist zu überprüfen, inwiefern sich bei Schüler:innen (Durchschnittsalter 11 Jahre) die Beziehungen zwischen ihrer Lern- vs. Leistungszielorientierung und ihrer späteren Wahrnehmung sozialer Beziehungen zu anderen Schulkindern unterscheiden. Mittels einer Strukturgleichungsmodellierung wird dies anhand von Daten über zwei Messzeitpunkte aus der Längsschnittstudie RUMBA-S mit Schüler:innen der Primarstufe in der Schweiz untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen statistisch signifikante Effekte von der Lernzielorientierung der Schüler:innen auf ihre späteren wahrgenommenen sozialen Beziehungen zu Mitschüler:innen, jedoch nicht signifikante Zusammenhänge zwischen der Leistungszielorientierung und den wahrgenommenen sozialen Beziehungen.
This chapter highlights the importance of integrating character strengths and peace psychology and science and practices therein. It discusses the natural connection and mutual benefit of these areas, exploring the previous lack of scientific and practical integration as potentially relating to a wide range of misconceptions about peace/peace psychology and about character strengths/positive psychology. The misconceptions are detailed alongside corrective realities. A model for integrating character strengths and peace psychology is explained and offered as a framework for this book, Peace Psychology and Character Strengths. The model emphasizes “levels” of peace, including inner, relational, intragroup, intergroup, community, international, and ecological peace; “types” of peace as positive peace (amplifying harmony, balance, calmness) and negative peace (reducing conflict, aggression, violence) occurring at any level of peace; and character strengths in the form of character strengths’s concepts, specific character strengths, and character strengths’s dynamics across levels and types of peace. The chapter then examines the potential practicality of integrating peace and character strengths by sharing a study indicating feasibility and conducting two new studies, one on motivation to take action (N = 16,126) and the other on commitment to an action relating character strengths to peace within 1 week (N = 13,932). These studies show initial support for feasibility, motivation (both importance and confidence components), and commitment to action. This is followed by a summary of themes and insights from a 5-week pilot group integrating character strengths and peace, with emphasis on inner peace and relational peace, and to a lesser degree, group peace. This group revealed further support and benefit for the integration as well as the usefulness of weaving in character strength concepts, specific strengths, and character strength dynamics. Finally, science-based strategies for inner peace and relational peace are outlined for all 24-character strengths; these extrapolations serve as examples for further research.
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) lead to improvements in mental health, and also increase trait mindfulness. Yet, trait mindfulness shows definitional and empirical overlaps with the personality dimension of neuroticism which is linked to mental health and is malleable through interventions as well. This meta-analysis examined whether previously reported associations between increases in self-reported trait mindfulness and mental health in MBIs, as well as in non-MBIs and treatment-as-usual (TAU) and waitlist controls, are mediated through concomitant changes in neuroticism on the between-study level. Data of 45 intervention studies (39 randomized controlled trials; total N = 2913) were investigated with three-level meta-analysis and the causal steps approach. Change in neuroticism mediated change in trait mindfulness and fully accounted for its mediational effects on mental health. Similar associative patterns were found for the active and TAU and waitlist control groups as well. Accounting for small-study effects did not alter this pattern of results. The findings highlight the relevance of neuroticism for intervention research and may explain previously observed apparent effects of trait mindfulness in non-MBIs and TAU and waitlist controls on mental health. The construct of trait mindfulness may need conceptual reconsideration and resharpening, and the investigation of personality change should be intensified in intervention research.
We examine how individual differences in self‐focused and other‐focused orientations relate to prosocial (e.g., helping, volunteerism) and antisocial (e.g., theft, violence) behaviours/attitudes. Using four datasets (total N = 176,216; across 78 countries), we find that other‐focused orientations (e.g., socially focused values, intimacy motivation, compassionate/communal traits) generally relate positively to prosocial outcomes and negatively to antisocial outcomes. These effects are highly consistent cross‐nationally and across multiple ways of operationalizing constructs. In contrast, self‐focused orientations (e.g., personally focused values, power motivation, assertive/agentic traits) tend to relate positively to both antisocial and prosocial outcomes. However, associations with prosocial outcomes vary substantially across nations and construct operationalizations. Overall, the effects of other‐focused orientations are consistently larger than those of self‐focused orientations. We discuss the implications of these findings for interventions that target self‐focused and other‐focused motivations to influence prosocial and antisocial outcomes.
The formation of public opinion is typically influenced by different stakeholders, such as governments and firms. Recently, various real-world problems related to the management of public opinion have emerged, necessitating stakeholders to strategically allocate resources on networks to achieve their objectives. To address this, it is imperative to consider the dynamics of opinion formation. Notably, in existing opinion dynamics models, individuals possess self-confidence parameters reflecting their adherence to historical opinions. However, most extant studies assume the individuals’ self-confidence levels remain constant over time, which cannot accurately capture the intricacies of human behavior. In response to this gap, we first introduce a self-confidence evolution model, which encompasses two influencing factors: the self-confidence levels of one’s group mates and the passage of time. Furthermore, we present the social network DeGroot model with self-confidence evolution, and conduct some theoretical analyses. Moreover, we propose a game model to identify the optimal resource allocation strategies of players on a network. Finally, we provide sensitivity analyses, comparative studies, and a case study. This paper highlights the significance of incorporating self-confidence evolution into the process of opinion dynamics, and the results can provide valuable practical insights for players seeking to improve their optimal resource allocation on a network to more effectively manage public opinions.
هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى الكشف عن العلاقة بين أنماط السلوك القيادي للمعلمة (التسلطي والديموقراطي) وتطبيق الطفل لمهارة حل المشكلات. واستخدمت الباحثة المنهج الوصفي التحليلي؛ لوصف الظاهرة كما هي في الواقع وتفسيرها وفهم الروابط والعلاقة بين المتغيرات. وتكون مجتمع الدراسة من معلمات مرحلة التمهيدي (5-6) سنوات في الروضات الحكومية بمدينة جدة. وتكونت عينة الدراسة من اثنين من معلمات مرحلة التمهيدي تم اختيارهن بطريقة قصدية بحيث تمثل كل معلمة نمط سلوك قيادي واحد، وتكونت العينة أيضًا من (40) طفلٍ من أطفالهن (5-6) سنوات تم اختيارهم بطريقة عشوائية في الروضات الحكومية بمدينة جدة. ولتحقيق أهداف الدراسة قامت الباحثتان بتطبيق بطاقة ملاحظة النمط السلوك القيادي على المعلمات وتحتوي البطاقة على (8) محاور مختلفة لكل نمط، كما طبقتنا مقياس حل المشكلات المصور للأطفال (5-6) سنوات على الأطفال
Changes in personality are often modeled linearly or curvilinearly. It is a simplifying—yet untested—assumption that the chosen sample-level model form accurately depicts all person-level trajectories within the sample. Given the complexity of personality development, it seems unlikely that imposing a single model form across all individuals is appropriate. Although typical growth models can estimate individual trajectories that deviate from the average via random effects, they do not explicitly test whether people differ in the forms of their trajectories. This heterogeneity is valuable to uncover, though, as it may imply that different processes are driving change. The present study uses data from four longitudinal data sets (N = 26,469; Mage = 47.55) to empirically test the degree that people vary in best-fitting model forms for their Big Five personality development. Across data sets, there was substantial heterogeneity in best-fitting forms. Moreover, the type of form someone had was directly associated with their net and total amount of change across time, and these changes were substantially misquantified when a worse-fitting form was used. Variables such as gender, age, trait levels, and number of waves were also associated with people’s types of forms. Lastly, comparisons of best-fitting forms from individual- and sample-level models indicated that consequential discrepancies arise from different levels of analysis (i.e., individual vs. sample) and alternative modeling choices (e.g., choice of time metric). Our findings highlight the importance of these individual differences for understanding personality change processes and suggest that a flexible, person-level approach to understanding personality development is necessary.
In this study, we describe a hierarchical dimensional model of eating-disorder (ED) classification based on the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology. Participants were community-recruited adults with an ED ( N = 252; 81.9% female). We used a modified version of Goldberg’s method, which involved sequentially extracting latent factors using exploratory structural equation modeling, resulting in a 10-factor hierarchical-dimensional model. Dimensions predicted 92.4% and 58.7% of the variance in recovery outcomes at 6 months and 1 year, respectively. Compared with other illness indicators (e.g., Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [ DSM] diagnoses, dimensional ED impairment scores, weight/shape overvaluation, and DSM ED-severity specifiers), hierarchical dimensions predicted 0.88 to 334 times more variance in ED behaviors at baseline and 1.95 to 80.8 times more variance in psychiatric impairment at 1-year follow-up. Results suggest that reducing within-disorder heterogeneity for EDs within the broader context of internalizing symptoms provides a powerful framework from which to predict outcomes and understand symptoms experienced by people with EDs.
Most previous research has focused on the relationships between specific personality traits and specific facets of mental health. However, in reality most of the Big Five are associated at non-trivial levels with mental health. To account for this broad correlation, we proposed the ‘barometer hypothesis’, positing that behind both ratings of mental health and personality lies a barometer that indicates one's general feelings of positivity or negativity. To the extent that both the general factors of personality and mental health reflect this same barometer, we would expect them to be correlated. We tested alternative models using data from a large longitudinal panel study that includes two cohorts of participants who were assessed every two years, resulting in parallel 4-year longitudinal studies. Similar results were obtained across both studies. Supporting the ‘barometer hypothesis’, findings revealed that the optimal model included general latent factors for both personality traits and mental health. Compared to the broad raw pairwise correlations, the bi-factor latent change models revealed that the relation among levels and changes in the specific factors were substantially reduced when controlling for the general factors. Still, some relations remained relatively unaffected by the inclusion of the general factor. We discuss implications of these findings. Copyright © 2016 European Association of Personality Psychology
A large-scale study of the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic methods for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorders was conducted. The sample consisted of 112 persons suffering from serious disorders resulting from traumatic events (bereavement, acts of violence, and traffic accidents) that had taken place not more than 5 years before. Trauma desensitization, hypnotherapy, and psychodynamic therapy were tested for their effectiveness in comparison with a waiting-list control group. The results indicated that treated cases were significantly lower in trauma-related symptoms than the control group. (C) 1989 by the American Psychological Association
A meta-analysis (MA) aggregates estimated effects from many studies to calculate a single, overall effect. There is no one, generally accepted procedure for how to do this. Several estimators are commonly used, though little is known about their relative performance. A complication arises when the sample of published studies is subject to sample selection due to “publication bias.” This study uses Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the performance of five different MA estimators in the presence of publication bias. The author considers two kinds of publication bias: publication bias directed against statistically insignificant estimates, and publication bias directed against wrong-signed estimates. The experiments simulate two data environments. In the Random Effects environment, each study produces only one estimate and the true effect differs across studies. In the Panel Random Effects environment, each study produces multiple estimates, and the true effect differs both within and across studies. The simulations produce a number of findings that challenge results from previous research.
After patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) respond to acute-phase cognitive therapy (CT), continuation-phase treatments may be applied to improve long-term outcomes. We clarified which CT responders experience remission, recovery, relapse, and recurrence by testing baseline demographic, clinical, and personality variables. The sample of CT responders at higher risk of relapse (N = 241) was randomized to 8 months of continuation-phase CT, double-blinded fluoxetine, or pill placebo, and followed 24 months (Jarrett & Thase, 2010). Patients with lower positive emotionality and behavioral activation at the end of acute-phase CT showed increased risk for relapse/recurrence of MDD. In addition, patients with lower positive emotionality and behavioral activation, as well as higher residual depression (including emotional, cognitive, and social facets), showed decreased probability of remission (≥6 continuous weeks of minimal or absent symptoms) after acute-phase CT. Finally, patients with greater residual depression, as well as younger age and earlier MDD onset, showed decreased probability of recovery (≥35 continuous weeks of minimal or absent symptoms) after acute-phase CT. Moderator analyses did not reveal differential prediction across the continuation phase treatment arms. These results may help clinicians gauge the prognoses and need for continuation treatment among MDD patients who respond to acute-phase CT. (PsycINFO Database Record
(c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of cognitive group therapy compared to a waiting list in a sample of patients with heterogeneous non-psychotic disorders. Participants in this study were referred from either the psychiatric in- or outpatient clinic at the psychiatric university hospital in Trondheim, Norway. The patients were assessed with SCID I and SCID II, and randomized either to cognitive group therapy (n=15) or to a waiting list (n=17). Self-report assessments of symptoms and interpersonal difficulties were administered at the start of therapy, after termination of therapy (8 weeks), and at 6 months and 12 months follow-up. Thirty-two patients completed 8 weeks of therapy. Results showed that an 8-week program of CBGT performed better than the waiting list controls, on symptom relief at post-treatment for all patients. The effects of therapy were still upheld at 6 and 12 months follow-up. Cognitive therapy seems to be useful and effective in a group format in naturalistic clinical settings, with patients suffering from various forms of non-psychotic co-morbid psychiatric disorders.
Clients (N = 105) presenting with mild depression were assigned to receive 2, 8, or 16 sessions of psychotherapy in a quasi-experimental design involving 2 clinical trials. Rates of recovery were estimated as the proportion of each group achieving reliable and clinically significant change at the end of treatment (shortly after the prescribed dose had been administered) and at a follow-up assessment 2 to 3 months later. Results supported the hypothesis that recovery from interpersonal problems typically requires higher doses of psychotherapy than does recovery from symptoms of depression or broader distress.
We highlight the role of neuroticism in the development and course of emotional disorders and make a case for shifting the focus of intervention to this higher-order dimension of personality. Recent decades have seen great emphasis placed on differentiating disorders into Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnoses; however, evidence has suggested that splitting disorders into such fine categories may be highlighting relatively trivial differences. Emerging research on the latent structure of anxiety and mood disorders has indicated that trait neuroticism, cultivated through genetic, neurobiological, and psychological factors, underscores the development of these disorders. We raise the possibility of a new approach for conceptualizing these disorders-as emotional disorders. From a service-delivery point of view, we explore the possibility that neuroticism may be more malleable than previously thought and may possibly be amenable to direct intervention. The public-health implications of directly treating and even preventing the development of neuroticism would be substantial.
The study investigated if the degree of personality pathology among people with clinical levels of social anxiety disorder was similar to those with personality disorders more generally, if the degree of avoidant personality pathology was correlated positively with Neuroticism and negatively with Extraversion and facets of Agreeableness (particularly Trust), and finally if scores on the relevant personality dimensions improve from pre- to post-treatment. Changes in Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Agreeableness were examined following group treatment for social anxiety disorder. The current study employed a within-subjects repeated-measures design (N = 25) to investigate whether these traits can be changed by group treatment for social anxiety disorder. A measure of personality disorder pathology was found to correlate positively with Neuroticism and negatively with Agreeableness in the absence of significant relationships with other Five-Factor Model traits. Treatment was associated with significant reductions in Neuroticism and there was significant improvement of the Trust facet of Agreeableness. These results are discussed in terms of the way that group treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder may be enhanced.
Changes in personality trait levels often parallel episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD), whereas trait factor structures and substantial retest correlations are preserved. The authors explicated this dual state/trait nature of personality assessments among adults with recurrent MDD (N = 351) receiving cognitive therapy (CT) by testing stability and change with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality, 2nd Edition (SNAP-2; Clark, Simms, Wu, & Casillas, in press), separating state and trait variance, and predicting depressive symptoms and clinical outcomes. Many SNAP scale scores changed in CT (e.g., positive temperament increased, negative temperament decreased), and decreases in depressive symptoms accounted for most scales' score changes. Nonetheless, SNAP scales' state and trait components predicted depressive symptoms early and late in CT as well as clinical outcomes, and state components predicted changes in symptoms and clinical outcomes. These results support the validity of the SNAP-2 among depressed patients and highlight the salience of personalityrelevant state affect.
The current study evaluated the temporal stability of personality disorders (PD) and traits as assessed by the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP) within a sample being treated for substance dependence in a residential TC. Temporal stability coefficients were similar to the few previous studies with clinical samples and comparable retest intervals; however, the current study extended previous work by examining mean-level stability of the PD scales. While most SNAP scales remained stable or decreased over 6 months of active psychotherapy, increases on some scales (e.g. workaholism as well as antisocial, narcissistic and obsessive–compulsive PDs) raised compelling questions. These findings suggest additional research on the stability and validity of the SNAP in treatment samples. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Although the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) is a standard instrument in both, psychotherapy research and quality control of psychotherapy, it's sensitivity to change has yet to be firmly established. The authors investigated the sensitivity to change of the IIP using a study design based on the assumption that psychoanalytic psychotherapy leads to significant improvement in interpersonal problems. To assess whether this type of change can be measured with the IIP, they did a pre/post comparison of IIP scores in 63 patients with depression. The authors evaluated therapeutic change by comparing means (t-test) and also by calculating standardized effect size (ES), the reliable change index and a measure of clinical significance (internal sensitivity to change). They also compared the IIP results with those of construct-near tests (external sensitivity to change). The IIP showed a satisfactory sensitivity to change, with highly significant differences on the t-test on all scales, an ES of 1.44 for the IIP total score and a large or medium ES (above 0.80 and 0.50, respectively) on most individual scales. Hence the IIP appears to be an appropriate instrument for assessing the effectiveness of psychotherapy.
Investigated the effects of shapiro's ego therapy, a system that postulates 5 subselves, relies upon role playing and inner dialogue, and attempts to facilitate personality integration, by comparing an ego therapy group, a discussion group, and a no treatment control. Clients were 90 volunteer freshmen, selected and evaluated on their scores on the integration, anxiety, and response bias scales of the omnibus personality inventory. Groups met for 2-hr weekly sessions for 7 wk. Results indicate (a) no differences between therapy and discussion groups on the 3 omnibus scales, (b) significant differences between the pre- and posttest scores for the integration scale only, and (c) significant differences between highly involved ego therapy and highly involved discussion group clients on the integration and anxiety scales. Results generally support the effectiveness of ego therapy. 3 conditions which appear to facilitate maximum therapeutic progress are offered.
The ability of personality traits to predict important life outcomes has traditionally been questioned because of the putative small effects of personality. In this article, we compare the predictive validity of personality traits with that of socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive ability to test the relative contribution of personality traits to predictions of three critical outcomes: mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment. Only evidence from prospective longitudinal studies was considered. In addition, an attempt was made to limit the review to studies that controlled for important background factors. Results showed that the magnitude of the effects of personality traits on mortality, divorce, and occupational attainment was indistinguishable from the effects of SES and cognitive ability on these outcomes. These results demonstrate the influence of personality traits on important life outcomes, highlight the need to more routinely incorporate measures of personality into quality of life surveys, and encourage further research about the developmental origins of personality traits and the processes by which these traits influence diverse life outcomes.
© 2007 Association for Psychological Science.
Past work has demonstrated that Big Five personality traits both predict relationship success and respond to changes in relationship status. The current study extends this work by examining how developments on the Big Five traits correspond to another important social outcome in adulthood, social well-being. Using the Mid-Life Development in the U.S. longitudinal data sample of adults, the authors examined traits and social well-being at two time points, roughly 9 years apart. Results find support for two primary claims. First, initial levels of social well-being correlated positively with initial standing on extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness. Second, changes in social well-being over time coincided with changes on these traits, in the same directions. Taken together, these findings provide broad support that trait development and social well-being development coincide during adulthood.
Twenty-six adult outpatients completed a 12-session group cognitive therapy program specifically designed to conjointly treat individuals with comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms. The program takes a content specificity approach, differentially treating depression and anxiety from a cognitive therapy perspective. Participants showed significant improvement on measures of depression, anxiety, and dysfunctional attitudes from pre- to posttest. Findings suggest clinical and practical utility for this intervention and support the use of combination therapeutics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
31 Type A (coronary prone) individuals received either cognitive–behavioral treatment, values-clarification treatment in combination with anxiety management training (AMT), or AMT alone. Ss were also blocked on the variable of self-monitoring, which is the extent to which one plans and enacts social behavior by using situational cues. Reduction in Type A behavior was achieved by all Ss, with none of the treatment groups producing clearly superior reductions. Reduction of anxiety was significantly effected by treatment condition, self-monitoring, and the interaction of these 2 variables. Implications for treatment of the Type A behavior pattern as well as the possible effects of self-monitoring on response to more general cognitive–behavioral techniques are discussed. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Describes a new instrument, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP), which measures distress arising from interpersonal sources. The IIP meets the need for an easily administered self-report inventory that describes the types of interpersonal problems that people experience and the level of distress associated with them before, during, and after psychotherapy. In Study 1, psychometric data are presented for 103 patients who were tested at the beginning and end of a waiting period before they began brief dynamic psychotherapy. On both occasions, a factor analysis yielded the same six subscales; these scales showed high internal consistency and high test–retest reliability. Study 2 demonstrated the instrument's sensitivity to clinical change. In this study, a subset of patients was tested before, during, and after 20 sessions of psychotherapy. Their improvement on the IIP agreed well with all other measures of their improvement, including those generated by the therapist and by an independent evaluator. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The present study tested hypotheses concerning interpersonal problems and the course of brief psychodynamic treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The authors found that the largest changes from pre- to post-therapy were evident for the Nonassertive, Exploitable, and Intrusive subscales of the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Relatively small changes were seen on the Overly Nurturant subscale, which was hypothesized to be most relevant to GAD. Changes in interpersonal problems were significantly associated with improvement in symptoms and worry. Brief dynamic therapy was not found to uniquely improve interpersonal problems compared with supportive therapy, although the psychodynamic approach was statistically and clinically superior to supportive therapy on symptomatic remission rates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
For any given research area, one cannot tell how many studies have been conducted but never reported. The extreme view of the "file drawer problem" is that journals are filled with the 5% of the studies that show Type I errors, while the file drawers are filled with the 95% of the studies that show nonsignificant results. Quantitative procedures for computing the tolerance for filed and future null results are reported and illustrated, and the implications are discussed. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO–PI–R) in a mostly African American clinical sample and determined if these qualities provided useful information about their motivational characteristics that were germane to treatment. Eighty-two men and 50 women entered a 6-week outpatient drug rehabilitation program, completed the NEO–PI–R, and received counselor ratings of personality at admission. The 99 who finished the program completed a 2nd NEO–PI–R. Counselors provided ratings of treatment responsiveness. The cross-observer, cross-method, cross-time correlations indicated that the NEO–PI–R can be a useful tool for organizing clinical information about clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This paper presents a study with the aim of evaluating the relative efficacy of an alliance-focused treatment, brief relational therapy, in comparison to a short-term dynamic therapy and a cognitive-behavioral therapy on a sample of highly comorbid personality disordered patients. Results indicated that the three treatments were equally effective on standard statistical analyses of change, including those conducted on repeated measures and residual gain scores. Some significant differences were indicated regarding clinically significant change and reliable change, favoring the brief relational and cognitive-behavioral models. There was also a significant difference regarding dropout rates, favoring brief relational therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The data and conclusions herein presented represent an interim report covering the second phase of a continuous research program the over-all purpose of which is to assess the usefulness of group psychotherapy with alcoholic patients and to determine the most efficient type and intensity of application. The alcoholic population from which subjects were selected for participation in the second phase of the study was defined by the following criteria: male, white, within the age range of 21 to 60, inclusive, without severe organic pathology (CNS) or psychotic impairment according to available psychiatric opinion, and above the forty-fifth percentile on the Army General Classification Test (AGCT). It is concluded that he addition of Rogerian group-centered therapy to the general treatment program for alcoholics does result in both qualitative and quantitative differences in therapeutic change to a significant extent. Further, qualitative as well as quantitative differences in the pre-post change pattern results when the number of therapy sessions is increased from 15 to 30. These differences suggest that at 15 sessions the average group client was terminated just when he was on the threshold of his most serious therapeutic work. Group psychotherapy actually seems to retard the development of the flight-in-to-health phenomenon and also dampens overall and short-term intra-individual self and ideal concept variability. Group therapy results in progressive therapeutic psychological change while at the same time increasing stability of the self and ideal concepts by somehow introducing an internally consistent pattern with the implication of checks and balances to such change as does occur. That is to say, the movement seems sure and purposeful with far less "randomness" than occurs without therapy, and with far less actual variability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Objective:
Previous research has found that conscientiousness has positive associations with preventative health-related behaviors and self-perceived health, but little is known about the links between changes in these variables over time. In the present study, we examined how levels and changes in conscientiousness were linked to levels and changes in both preventative health-related behaviors and self-perceived physical health.
Method:
Personality and health questionnaires were administered to participants in two waves, with an interval of approximately three years. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 94. To elucidate the tripartite relations between conscientiousness, preventative health-related behaviors, and self-perceived physical health, we used latent change models to estimate levels and changes of these latent constructs over time.
Results:
Changes in conscientiousness were significantly and positively correlated with changes in preventative health behaviors and changes in self-perceived physical health. Changes in preventative health behaviors partially mediated the relation between changes in conscientiousness and changes in self-perceived physical health.
Conclusions:
This longitudinal study extends previous research on conscientiousness and health by exploring the relations between latent variables over a 3-year period. It provides evidence that increases in conscientiousness and preventative health-related behaviors are associated with improvements in self-perceived health over the same time period.
Personality and social relationships were assessed twice across a 4-year period in a general population sample of 489 German young adults. Two kinds of personality-relationship transaction were observed. First, mean-level change in personality toward maturity (e.g., increase in Conscientiousness and decrease in Neuroticism) was moderated by the transition to partnership but was independent of other developmental transitions. Second, individual differences in personality traits predicted social relationships much better than vice versa. Specifically, once initial correlations were controlled for, Extraversion, Shyness, Neuroticism, self-esteem, and Agreeableness predicted change in various qualities of relationships (especially with friends and colleagues), whereas only quality of relationships with preschool children predicted later Extraversion and Neuroticism. Consequences for the transactional view of personality in young adulthood are discussed.
The discriminant validity of the interpersonal-affective and social deviance traits of psychopathy has been well documented. However, few studies have explored whether these traits follow distinct or comparable developmental paths. The present study used the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (A. Tellegen, in press) to examine the development of the psychopathic traits of Fearless Dominance (i.e., interpersonal-affective) and Impulsive Antisociality (i.e.. social deviance) from late adolescence to early adulthood in a longitudinal-epidemiological sample of male and female twins. Results from mean-and individual-level analyses revealed stability in Fearless Dominance from late adolescence to early adulthood, whereas Impulsive Antisociality declined over this developmental period. In addition, biometric findings indicated greater genetic contributions to stability in these traits and greater nonshared environmental contributions to their change over time. Collectively, these findings suggest distinct developmental trends for psychopathic traits from late adolescence to early adulthood.
In a controlled clinical trial, 57 Ss meeting DSM—III—R criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, and fulfilling an additional severity criterion, were randomly allocated to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), behavior therapy (BT), or a waiting-list control group. Individual treatment lasted 4—12 sessions; independent assessments were made before treatment, after treatment, and 6 months later, and additional follow-up data were collected after an interval of approximately 18 months. Results show a clear advantage for CBT over BT. A consistent pattern of change favoring CBT was evident in measures of anxiety, depression, and cognition. Ss were lost from the BT group, but there was no attrition from the CBT group. Treatment integrity was double-checked in England and in Holland, and special efforts were made to reduce error variance. Possible explanations for the superiority of CBT are discussed.
A randomized, controlled study evaluated the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral group therapy for inpatients with personality disorders. The treatment was entitled Creative Coping (CC) therapy. It was a problem-solving skills group that taught methods for coping with distress to replace the self-destructive and suicidal behaviors typically used by many of the patients, particularly those with borderline personality disorder. The control condition was a discussion group entitled the Wellness & Lifestyles (W&L) group. Subjects were hospitalized on a general psychiatric unit for an average of 12.6 days and attended an average of 5.9 group sessions. Assessments were conducted shortly after admission and again just before discharge. Change was assessed in the following: psychiatric symptoms; various emotions; suicidal ideation; locus of control; and coping skills. Also assessed were patients' impressions of the group and its effectiveness; group leaders' impressions of the extent to which each subject benefited from the group; and reports by unit staff of subjects' acting out (self-destructive behaviors and suicide threats) during their hospital stay. Subjects in both groups improved significantly on virtually all change measures, although between-group differences were not demonstrated on most measures. The only between-group difference on a change measure was in the opposite direction than was predicted: W&L subjects became significantly more internal in locus of control than CC subjects. Another unexpected between-group difference was that significantly more CC subjects than W&L subjects acted out on the unit. However, this significant difference did not hold up when the early and late stages of hospitalization were examined separately. In terms of the patients' subjective impressions of the groups, CC subjects significantly more strongly believed that the lessons of group would help them better handle difficult situations in their lives. Similarly, CC group leaders more strongly believed that their group members were able to relate the lessons of group to their own lives. Thus, patients in both groups demonstrated improvement, but the CC group patients and leaders viewed the intervention as more relevant. Follow-up data are needed to demonstrate whether subjects use the new coping skills in their lives outside the hospital.
Little is currently known about predictors of follow-up outcome of psychological treatment of agoraphobia. In this study, we wished to examine predictors of short- and long-term avoidance after inpatient group interventions for agoraphobia.
Ninety-six (68%) of 141 agoraphobic patients (74% women) who had completed treatment in two open and one randomized controlled trial (RCT) were followed up 13 to 21 years after start of treatment.
Major depression at pre-treatment predicted less short-term (up to one year after end of treatment) improvement in agoraphobic avoidance. Working and being married/cohabiting at pre-treatment predicted greater long-term (across one-year, two-year, and 13-21 years follow-up) improvement. In contrast, the duration of agoraphobia, amount of Axis I and II co-morbidity, being diagnosed with avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, and the use of antidepressants and benzodiazepines the month before intake to treatment, were unrelated to short-term as well as long-term outcome.
As many as 31.9% of the included patients did not attend long-term follow-up and the power of the study was limited. The long time period between the two and 13-21 year follow-ups is a limitation, in which it is difficult to assess what actually happened. Although all the patients received some form of CBT, there was variability among the treatments.
The only short-term predictor identified represented a clinical feature, whereas the long-term predictors represented features of the patients׳ life situation. The limited power of the study precludes the inference that non-significant predictors are unrelated to follow-up outcome.
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We examined symptom-level relations between the emotional disorders and general traits within the five-factor model of personality. Neuroticism correlated strongly with the general distress/negative affectivity symptoms (depressed mood, anxious mood, worry) that are central to these disorders; more moderately with symptoms of social phobia, affective lability, panic, posttraumatic stress disorder, lassitude, checking, and obsessive intrusions; and more modestly with agoraphobia, specific phobia, and other symptoms of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Extraversion was negatively correlated with symptoms of social anxiety/social phobia and was positively related to scales assessing expansive positive mood and increased social engagement in bipolar disorder. Conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness showed weaker associations and generally added little to the prediction of these symptoms. It is noteworthy, moreover, that our key findings replicated well across (a) self-rated versus (b) interview-based symptom measures. We conclude by discussing the diagnostic and assessment implications of these data.
This study attempted to evaluate the ability of an outpatient drug rehabilitation program to effect significant shifts on the five major dimensions of personality. A mostly African American sample of 82 men and 50 women entering a 6-week program were assessed at admission, and the 99 who completed were again measured at termination. Follow-up assessments were completed on 30 clients an average of 15 months later. Results indicated significant shifts on all five personality domains from pre- to posttreatment (mean Cohen's d = .38). Significant shifts on Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness were maintained over follow-up (mean Cohen's d = .28). These results suggest that personality change may be possible in the context of treatment.