Childhood Personality Predicts Long-Term Trajectories of Shyness and Aggressiveness in the Context of Demographic Transitions in Emerging Adulthood

ABSTRACT In a 19‐year longitudinal study, childhood personality characteristics (assessed by teachers at ages 4 to 6) were significantly related to both initial levels and changes in parental judgments of shyness and aggressiveness. Long‐term stability was demonstrated by the fact that overcontrolle...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality 2008-02, Vol.76 (1), p.67-100
Main Authors: Dennissen, Jaap J. A., Asendorpf, Jens B., Van Aken, Marcel A. G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adulthood
Aggression
Aggression - psychology
Aggressiveness
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child psychology
Child, Preschool
Childhood
Children
Developmental psychology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Internal-External Control
Interpersonal Relations
Life course
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Miscellaneous
Parents
Personality
Personality Assessment
Personality Development
Personality traits
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Self Efficacy
Shyness
Social Environment
Social Perception
Teachers
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Summary:ABSTRACT In a 19‐year longitudinal study, childhood personality characteristics (assessed by teachers at ages 4 to 6) were significantly related to both initial levels and changes in parental judgments of shyness and aggressiveness. Long‐term stability was demonstrated by the fact that overcontrollers had consistently higher scores in shyness and undercontrollers in aggressiveness. However, undercontrollers' shyness and overcontrollers' aggressiveness changed over time from a low to a high level. Also, both types assumed adult social roles, such as leaving the parental home, establishing a first romantic relationship, and getting a part‐time job, at a later time than the resilient participants. A mediation analysis indicated that under‐ and overcontrollers' increasing aggressiveness between age 17 and 23 was due to their longer latency of getting a part‐time job. Together, results demonstrate the importance of considering person‐environment transactions in explaining both change and stability in personality between childhood and adulthood.
ISSN:0022-3506
1467-6494
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2007.00480.x