STABILITY OF EMOTION EXPERIENCES AND THEIR RELATIONS TO TRAITS OF PERSONALITY

The article presents a theoretical framework for studying emotion-pers onality relations and an empirical study of the stability of 88 normal middle-class mothers' emotion experiences and their relations to pers onality during the 3 years after childbirth. Ss completed the Differen tial Emotions Scale (DES), Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire, Jackso n's Personality Research Form, and Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale . The DES demonstrated stability over 3 years. There was individual st ability despite changes in group means during the postpartum period. P ositive emotionality, as well as the discrete emotions of interest, en joyment, and shyness, predicted Extraversion. Negative emotionality an d the discrete negative emotions were significant predictors of Neurot icism. Positive emotionality was inversely related to Neuroticism. The re were expectable correlations among specific emotions and primary tr aits of personality.