Our personalities stay pretty much the same throughout our
lives, from our early childhood years to after we're over the hill, according
to a new study.
The results show personality
traits observed in children as young as first graders are a strong
predictor of adult behavior.
"We remain recognizably the same person," said
study author Christopher Nave, a doctoral candidate at the University of
California, Riverside. "This speaks to the importance of understanding
personality because it does follow us wherever we go across time and
contexts."
The study will be published in an upcoming issue of the
journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Tracking
personalities
Using data from a 1960s study of approximately 2,400
ethnically diverse schoolchildren (grades 1 - 6) in Hawaii, researchers
compared teacher personality ratings of the students with videotaped interviews
of 144 of those individuals 40 years later.
They examined four personality attributes - talkativeness
(called verbal fluency), adaptability (cope well with new situations), impulsiveness
and self-minimizing behavior (essentially being humble to the point of
minimizing one's importance).
Among the findings:
Talkative youngsters tended to show interest in intellectual
matters, speak fluently, try to control situations, and exhibit a high degree
of intelligence as adults. Children who rated low in verbal fluency were
observed as adults to seek advice, give up when faced with obstacles, and
exhibit an awkward interpersonal style.
Children rated as highly adaptable tended, as middle-age
adults, to behave cheerfully, speak fluently and show interest in intellectual
matters. Those who rated low in adaptability as children were observed as
adults to say negative things about themselves, seek advice and exhibit an
awkward interpersonal style.
Students rated as impulsive were inclined to speak loudly,
display a wide range of interests and be talkative as adults. Less impulsive
kids tended to be fearful
or timid, kept others at a distance and expressed
insecurity as adults.
Children characterized as self-minimizing were likely to
express guilt, seek reassurance, say negative things about themselves and
express insecurity as adults. Those who were ranked low on a self-minimizing scale
tended to speak loudly, show interest in intellectual matters and exhibit
condescending behavior as adults.
Changing personality
Previous research has suggested that while our
personalities can change, it's not an easy undertaking.
Personality is "a part of us, a part of our
biology," Nave said. "Life events still influence our behaviors, yet
we must acknowledge the power of personality in understanding future behavior
as well."
Future research will "help us understand how
personality is related to behavior as well as examine the extent to which we
may be able to change our personality," Nave said.
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- Original Story: Personality Set for Life By 1st Grade, Study Suggests
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