A longitudinal study of personality change in young adulthood

The present research examined personality continuity and change in a sample of young men and women assessed at the beginning and end of college. Two-h undred seventy students completed measures of the Big Five personality trai ts when they first entered college and then 4 years later. Analyses indicat e small- to medium-sized normative (i.e., mean-level) changes, large rank-o rder stability correlations, high levels of stability in personality struct ure, and moderate levels of ipsative (i.e. profile) stability. Overall, the findings are consistent with the perspective that personality traits exhib it considerable continuity over time, yet can change in systematic ways.