Can You Change Your Personality?

Do you consider yourself more introverted or extroverted? Do you prefer to live your life in a structured and organised manner or go with the flow? Are you adventurous or do you prefer routine? These are some of the questions you may find yourself answering when taking a personality test. Of course, many aspects of your personality are already well known to you and those around you … however what is not so well known is the extent to which these can change.

Tellegen (the psychologist who created the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire) defined personality as a “psychological organismic structure underlying a relatively enduring behavioural disposition i.e. a tendency to respond in certain ways under certain circumstances”. The underlying premise that personality is stable over time drives much of the research and theories developed by personality psychologists however over the past few years we have come to realise that this may not necessarily be the case.

Seeing as many of us wish that our personalities were different in one way or another, this premise brings with it a sense of optimism for future change. So what conditions promote a change in personality? Well there are three primary factors that contribute to a shift in personality.

Time

While in the past many researchers have claimed that personality remains fairly consistent throughout adulthood it appears that personality traits tend to peak at around age 50 however may even continue to change into old age. In one study, participants were assessed at the age of 14 on six broad personality traits and then again on these same six at the age of 77. It was found that there was no significant stability over this time.

In general, it appears that people become more conscientious (a trait associated with organisation and discipline) and agreeable (a trait associated with being warm, friendly and helpful) as they age. Seeing as conscientiousness is associated with career success and agreeableness with the nurturing characteristics needed to raise a family this does appear to be in line with a socially acceptable sense of maturity as people settle into their adult roles.

Events

You may not be too surprised to learn that specific events can trigger a change in personality however these do not necessarily have to be major or life altering events. Research has shown that agreeableness and conscientiousness have a tendency to increase before one begins their first job and conversely decrease before becoming unemployed. The trait of extroversion also has a tendency to increase before moving in with ones partner. This is consistent with research suggesting that sociability increases the probability of starting a romantic relationship in young adulthood.

Furthermore experiences of trauma – particularly at a young age - have also been found to be a predictor of neuroticism later on in life. It appears that particular events may promote a change in personality and also that a change in personality may occur in preparation for certain life events.

Therapy/Purposeful Change

While the passing of time and specific life events may seem a little out of your control there is a third factor that appears to contribute to personality change and that is the experience of therapy and/or purposeful change. Studies have shown that seeing a therapist has been associated with personality change. Specifically therapeutic interventions appear to decrease levels of neuroticism – a trait that has been linked to a number of mental illnesses. Another promising finding of this  research was that there was not one specific intervention that appeared to facilitate change more than another.While therapeutic intervention appears to be useful, self-driven actions can also foster personality change.

A recent study required its participants to complete online tests assessing their different personality traits. They were then required to identify which particular trait they wished to change (e.g. being more extroverted). Half of the participants were held accountable by being questioned as to whether they had performed behaviours that were relevant to the personality traits they wished to change. The other half were held accountable through coaching in which they were encouraged to describe steps which they would take to facilitate this personality change. The changes to personality observed were statistically significant supporting the notion that personality change can occur through wilful and purposeful self-change.

In light of these new research discoveries it might be time to turn inwards and have a think about if there are any traits you’d like to change in yourself. The excuse “that’s just how I am” may not necessarily hold up anymore.