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On the Consistency of Personality Types Across Adulthood: Latent Profile Analysis in Two Large-Scale Panel Studies

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  • Jule Specht
  • Maike Luhmann
  • Christian Geiser

Abstract

Consistency and change in personality were analyzed by examining personality types across adulthood and old age using data from two nationally representative panel studies from Germany (N = 14,718; 16 – 82 years) and Australia (N = 8,315; 15 – 79 years). In both samples, the Big Five personality traits were measured twice across a period of 4 years. Latent profile analyses and latent profile transition analyses revealed four main findings: First, solutions with 3 (in the German sample) or 4 (in the Australian sample) personality types were found to be most interpretable. Second, measurement invariance tests revealed that these personality types were consistent across all age groups but differed slightly between men and women. Third, age was related to the number of individuals classified within each personality type. Namely, there were more resilients and fewer undercontrollers in older compared with younger age groups. Fourth, there was strong consistency of personality type membership across a period of 4 years in both genders and most age cohorts. Comparatively less consistency across time was found for undercontrollers and individuals in old age. Taken together, these findings show that in the two nations studied here, personality types were highly consistent across gender, age, and time.

Suggested Citation

  • Jule Specht & Maike Luhmann & Christian Geiser, 2014. "On the Consistency of Personality Types Across Adulthood: Latent Profile Analysis in Two Large-Scale Panel Studies," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 687, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
  • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp687
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    1. Gert G. Wagner & Joachim R. Frick & Jürgen Schupp, 2007. "The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) – Scope, Evolution and Enhancements," Schmollers Jahrbuch : Journal of Applied Social Science Studies / Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin, vol. 127(1), pages 139-169.
    2. Martin Kroh, 2011. "Documentation of Sample Sizes and Panel Attrition in the German Socio Economic Panel (SOEP) (1984 until 2010)," Data Documentation 59, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    3. Martin Kroh, 2012. "Documentation of Sample Sizes and Panel Attrition in the German Socio Economic Panel (SOEP) (1984 until 2011)," Data Documentation 66, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    4. Jule Specht & Boris Egloff & Stefan C. Schmukle, 2011. "Stability and Change of Personality across the Life Course: The Impact of Age and Major Life Events on Mean-Level and Rank-Order Stability of the Big Five," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 377, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
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    Cited by:

    1. Petrik Runst & Jörg Thomä, 2022. "Does personality matter? Small business owners and modes of innovation," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 2235-2260, April.
    2. Gensowski, Miriam, 2018. "Personality, IQ, and lifetime earnings," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 170-183.
    3. Tim Friehe & Markus Pannenberg, 2020. "Time preferences and political regimes: evidence from reunified Germany," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 33(1), pages 349-387, January.
    4. Petrik Runst & Jörg Thomä, 2023. "Resilient entrepreneurs? — revisiting the relationship between the Big Five and self-employment," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 417-443, June.
    5. Dennis Grevenstein & Corina Aguilar-Raab & Matthias Bluemke, 2018. "Mindful and Resilient? Incremental Validity of Sense of Coherence Over Mindfulness and Big Five Personality Factors for Quality of Life Outcomes," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(7), pages 1883-1902, October.
    6. Runst, Petrik & Thomä, Jörg, 2022. "Resilient entrepreneurs? Revisiting the relationship between the Big Five and self-employment," ifh Working Papers 34/2022, Volkswirtschaftliches Institut für Mittelstand und Handwerk an der Universität Göttingen (ifh).
    7. Peng Hu & Yaobin Lu & Yeming Gong, 2021. "Dual humanness and trust in conversational AI : A person-centered approach," Post-Print hal-03598766, HAL.
    8. Bereket Kebede & Nicole Gross-Camp & Adrian Martin & Shawn McGuire & Joseph Munyarukaza, 2018. "Inequality, envy and personality in public goods: An experimental study," CSAE Working Paper Series 2018-10, Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
    9. Ewa Gruszczyńska & Aleksandra Kroemeke & Nina Knoll & Ralf Schwarzer & Lisa Marie Warner, 2020. "Well-Being Trajectories Following Retirement: A Compensatory Role of Self-Enhancement Values in Disadvantaged Women," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(7), pages 2309-2325, October.
    10. Catie C. W. Lai, 2018. "The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality in the Relationship Between Personality and Subjective Well-Being," SAGE Open, , vol. 8(2), pages 21582440187, April.
    11. Caliendo, Marco & Fossen, Frank M. & Kritikos, Alexander S., 2022. "Personality characteristics and the decision to hire," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 31(3), pages 736-761.

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    Keywords

    Personality types; adulthood; latent profile analysis; longitudinal study; personality development;
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