DO COMPARATIVE SELF-APPRAISALS DURING YOUNG ADULTHOOD PREDICT ADULT PERSONALITY

Archival data from the University of North Carolina Alumni Heart Study were used to assess whether positive, neutral, and negative social co mparisons assessed during college predicted the expression of personal ity during adulthood. College students in 1966 rated themselves relati ve to peers on several personal attributes. For men and women, these a ttributes produced 3 similar yet distinct variables reflecting gregari ousness, achievement striving, and expressiveness. These students were contacted 20 years later and completed the NEO Personality Inventory and M. Rosenberg's (1965) self-esteem measure. In general, persons wit h comparatively positive self-evaluations during college viewed themse lves as possessing more positive and less negative personality traits during adulthood and were also less likely to report poorer self-estee m during middle adulthood. The implications of social comparison proce ssess for personality development are discussed.