MORE-OR-LESS ME IN PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE - PERCEIVED LIFETIME PERSONALITY DURING ADULTHOOD

This article examines whether adults perceive different levels of thei r own personality traits at different target ages, and what the differ ences are. Using abbreviated versions of assessments of the 5-factor m odel of personality (NEO-FFI, P.T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1989) and of well-being (C. D. Ryff, 1989), 398 heterogeneous participants (age 26- 64) described their own personality (a) in the present, (b) when they were 20-25 years old, (c) when they will be 65-70 years old, and (d) i n the ideal. Participants' responses across the 3 target ages indicate d moderate change across adulthood and more variability than is typica lly observed in longitudinal studies of adult personality development. Anticipated late adulthood personality contained more losses than gai ns, although all target ages showed some gains. Participants' percepti ons were characterized by early adulthood exploration, middle adulthoo d productivity, and later adulthood comfortableness. Additionally, old er adults reported slightly lower ideals but in other ways responded v ery similarly to younger and middle-aged adults.