Personality stability and change in early adulthood: A behavioral genetic analysis.

79 monozygotic and 48 same-sex dizygotic twin pairs completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire twice, averaging 20 yrs of age at 1st and 30 yrs at 2nd testing. There were significant mean decreases in measures of Negative Emotionality (NE), increases in measures of Constraint (CO), but no significant mean changes for measures of Positive Emotionality (PE). Variance decreased for measures of NE but remained stable for measures of PE and CO. Biometrical analyses revealed that (1) NE variance reduction was due to diminishing genetic influences, (2) personality stability was due largely to genetic factors, and (3) although some evidence for genetic influence on personality change was observed, change was determined largely by environmental factors. It is concluded that the stable core of personality is strongly associated with genetic factors but that personality change largely reflects environmental factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and gender differences in effects of d-amphetamine on risk taking.

The effects of stimulant drugs on risk-taking behavior vary across individuals, even in healthy samples. These differences could relate to personality, which may share common mechanisms with drug effects or impulsive, risk-taking behavior. The current study investigated the role of temperament and gender in the effects of amphetamine on risk taking. Forty healthy men and women, aged 18 to 35, completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART; Lejuez et al., 2002) with three reward values after ingesting placebo or d-amphetamine (10, 20 mg). They completed the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire Brief Form (MPQ-BF; Patrick et al., 2002), with three main scales: Trait reward sensitivity (Agentic Positive Emotionality; AgPEM), impulsivity (Constraint; CON), and negative affect (Negative Emotionality; NEM). d-Amphetamine (20 mg) decreased risk behavior in low AgPEM males, but increased risk behavior in high AgPEM males, producing positive correlations with AgPEM in men (r≥+.55, p     

Childhood amnesia and the beginnings of memory for four early life events.

Childhood amnesia was examined in a between-groups study of adults' memories of 4 datable target events: the birth of a younger sibling, a hospitalization, the death of a family member, and making a family move. 222 college students answered questions about events that had occurred when they were 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 yrs old and also about external information sources, such as family stories. Results show that the offset of childhood amnesia (earliest age of recall) is age 2 yrs for hospitalization and sibling birth and 3 yrs for death and move. Thus, some memories are available from earlier in childhood than previous research has suggested. Ss' mothers judged most of their children's memories as accurate. External information sources were negatively related to recall from the earlier ages (2–3 yrs) but positively to recall from later ages (4–5 yrs). These results are compatible with a multiple-determinants account of childhood amnesia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dynamics of childhood and adolescent personality traits and adolescent drug use.

Examined the relative impact of childhood and adolescent personality/behavioral attributes on the adolescent's stage of drug use. Mothers of 356 youngsters were interviewed concerning their child's personality, behavior, development and childrearing techniques, family structure, family health, and demographics when the child was 5–20 yrs of age (Time 1 [T1]) and again when the child was 13–18 yrs old (Time 2 [T2]). Adolescents also completed a self-report questionnaire concerning their personalities, behavior, and drug use at T2. As hypothesized, findings support a mediational model as best depicting the interrelation of the domains of childhood and adolescent personality and stage of drug use. Childhood personality attributes were related to adolescent personality attributes, which in turn were related to adolescents' stage of drug use. Across-time personality correlations suggested that substantial continuity exists in personality traits. However, there was also some evidence for the malleability of these traits. Results suggest the positive effects of protective (i.e., nondrug-conducive) personality traits in children can be weakened by the presence of risk factors during adolescence, leading to higher T2 drug stage, and that the negative impact of childhood risk personality traits can be ameliorated by protective personality traits during adolescence, resulting in lower drug stage. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting individual change in personality disorder features by simultaneous individual change in personality dimensions linked to neurobehavioral systems: The longitudinal study of personality disorders.

Personality disorders (PDs), long thought to be immutable over time, show considerable evidence of individual change and malleability in modern prospective longitudinal studies. The factors responsible for the evident individual change in PDs over time, however, remain essentially unknown. A neurobehavioral model that posits negative emotion (NEM), nonaffective constraint (CON), communal positive emotion (PEM-C), and agentic positive emotion (PEM-A) as important systems underlying PD provides a theoretical basis for investigating predictors of change in PD features over time. Thus, in this study, the authors investigated how individual change in NEM, CON, PEM-C, and PEM-A over time predicted individual change in PD features over time, using longitudinal data on PD assessed by the International Personality Disorders Examination (A. W. Loranger, 1999), as well as data on normal personality features gathered within a 4-year prospective multiwave longitudinal study (N = 250). The authors used the method of latent growth modeling to conduct their analyses. Lower initial levels of PEM-C predicted initial levels of the growth trajectories for those with elevated Cluster A PD features. Elevated NEM, lower CON, and elevated PEM-A initial levels were found to characterize the initial levels of growth trajectories for those with increased Cluster B PD features. Interestingly, subjects with higher initial levels of PEM-A revealed a more rapid rate of change (declining) in Cluster B PD features over time. Elevated NEM and decreased PEM-C initial levels were found to characterize the growth trajectories for subjects with increased Cluster C PD features. The substantive meaning of these results is discussed, and the methodological advantages offered by this statistical approach are also highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prosocial development in early adulthood: A longitudinal study.

Consistency of measures of a prosocial personality and prosocial moral judgment over time, and the interrelations among them, were examined. Participants' and friends' reports of prosocial characteristics were obtained at ages 21-22, 23-24, and 25-26 yrs. In addition, participants' prosocial judgment was assessed with interviews and with an objective measure of prosocial moral reasoning at several ages. Reports of prosocial behavior and empathy-related responding in childhood and observations of prosocial behavior in preschool also were obtained. There was interindividual consistency in prosocial dispositions, and prosocial dispositions in adulthood related to empathy/sympathy and prosocial behavior at much younger ages. Interview and objective measures of moral reasoning were substantially interrelated in late adolescence/early adulthood and correlated with participants' and friends' reports of a prosocial disposition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychopathy and conduct problems in children.

Factor analysis of a measure of psychopathy was conducted in a sample of 95 clinic-referred children between the ages of 6 and 13 yrs. These analyses revealed 2 dimensions of behavior, one associated with impulsivity and conduct problems (I/CP) and one associated with the interpersonal and motivational aspects of psychopathy (callous/unemotional: CU). In a subset of this sample (n?=?64), analyses indicated that scores on the I/CP factor were highly associated with traditional measures of conduct problems. In contrast, scores derived from the CU factor were only moderately associated with measures of conduct problems and exhibited a different pattern of associations on several criteria that have been associated with psychopathy (e.g., sensation seeking) or childhood antisocial behavior (e.g., low intelligence, poor school achievement, and anxiety). These analyses suggest that psychopathic personality features and conduct problems are independent, yet interacting, constructs in children, analogous to findings in the adult literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A childhood letter of Sigmund Freud.

Analyzes a childhood letter written by Freud in an attempt to discover early evidence of lasting personality characteristics. It is deduced that the letter was written when Freud was between 11 and 12 yrs old. Aspects of the letter reveal Freud's neatness and exactness, general conservatism, egocentricity, and deep emotional attachments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy for the elderly: Public opinion.

Examined beliefs about the benefits that the elderly derive from psychotherapy. 414 Ss (aged 17–81 yrs) completed a questionnaire about the incidence of psychological problems, the incidence of 4 personality disorders (antisocial, compulsive, dependent, or schizoid), and the value of psychotherapy for adults 20–80 yrs old. Ss of all ages held strong biases against psychotherapy for older adults. Ratings of the value of psychotherapy and the benefits that clients could derive from psychotherapy decreased steadily with increasing target age. Such biases contribute to the limited use of psychotherapy among the elderly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rejection and depression: Prospective and contemporaneous analyses.

Explored the relationship of parental rejection during childhood and manifestations of depression both then and in young adulthood in 3 studies. In Study 1, 427 Ss were seen in 2 waves at the ages of 8 and 19 yrs. In the 1st wave, the parents of these Ss were also interviewed with a childrearing questionnaire that included a measure of rejection. In the 2nd wave, the Ss, then 19 yrs old, were administered the MMPI—D subscale. In the 2nd study, the contemporaneous relationship between maternal rejection and childhood depression was investigated. The identical measure of rejection used in the prospective study was administered to 245 mothers, and 4 measures of depression—peer ratings, self-ratings, teacher's ratings, and mother's ratings—were obtained for their children (mean age 10.11 yrs). The 3rd study, conducted with 508 mothers and their children (mean age 9.78 yrs) replicated the significant findings of the contemporaneous study. Findings support the hypothesis that deprivation in the generic sense ranging from the death of 1 or both parents to rejection or even parental disharmony is an etiological factor in adult depression. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-cultural investigation of the validity of Erikson's theory of personality development.

Constructed a self-report questionnaire for measuring the personality components that, according to E. H. Erikson (1950, 1959, 1968) are formed before the onset of old age. This applied to a sample of 1,859 15–60 yr old South African White and Black males and females. Results indicate that the reliability of the total scale was high for both Black and White Ss. The reliabilities of the subscales were adequate. Evidence of the validity of the scale is discussed. The components of personality that theoretically develop in childhood seemed strongly interrelated in adolescent and adult Whites. White women appeared to solve the identity crisis earlier, and they experienced a higher degree of intimacy than did White men, although the difference narrowed with age. In both sexes, psychosocial development was related to well-being. Black men seem to resolve the identity crisis only after age 40 yrs and there were indications that the psychosocial development of Black adult women was frustrated. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linking childhood personality with adaptation: Evidence for continuity and change across time into late adolescence.

Four personality traits—Mastery Motivation, Academic Conscientiousness, Surgent Engagement, and Agreeableness—were measured in a community sample of 205 children (ages 8–12), who were followed up 10 years later. Childhood personality was examined in relation to concurrent and longitudinal adaptation in 3 domains—academic achievement, rule-abiding versus antisocial conduct, and peer social competence. The childhood personality traits evidenced robust, conceptually coherent relationships with adaptation, both concurrently and across time. Childhood personality added to the prediction of later adaptation, beyond childhood IQ and earlier adaptation in the same domain. Few sex differences were obtained in the relationships between childhood personality and adaptation. The present results document both continuity and discontinuity in the links between childhood personality and adaptation across childhood into late adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative similarity of rotated and reversed figures to the original figures as a function of children's age.

4 rotated and 2 (left-right and up-down) reversed replicas of 11 random figures and a capital letter, F, were ranked for similarity to the originals by 221 4-21 yr old normal children in 7 age groups. For both the random figures and the letter, the left-right reversals were judged as the most similar to the originals at ages 5-7 yrs, while the 45. rotations were judged so at ages 12-19 yrs. The age of 10 was the boundary between these 2 tendencies. Results indicate that young children have already differentiated spatial orientations and directions to a considerable degree but in a different manner from older children and adults. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental changes across childhood in the perception of non-native speech sounds.

Tested 12 English-speaking children at each of 3 ages (4, 8, and 12 yrs) on 3 speech contrasts of English and Hindi sounds. As a control procedure, 2 bilingual Hindi–English speaking children (aged 4 and 5 yrs) were also tested. Results show that the loss of ability to discriminate the nonnative (Hindi) speech contrasts was evident by 4 yrs of age, suggesting that important reorganizations in linguistic perceptual abilities occur in early childhood. Results support the notion that learning a 2nd language may not necessarily be easier in young childhood. (French abstract) (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional consequences of loss for our adolescents.

Evaluated 24 children between the ages of 8 and 16 yrs who experienced the death or loss of a parent during infancy, early childhood, or latency. Each was referred for psychological evaluation because of manifested school dysfunctions. Feelings of abandonment and depression were 2 major symptoms, either expressed or felt by the Ss. Their yearning for the lost object who abandoned them, through death, appeared to persist throughout their early life. Findings suggest that the death or loss of a parent in early infancy, latency, or adolescence, is a traumatic event on the personality development and functioning of the child. Treatment approaches that are needed with this population are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Egocentrism and ego resiliency: Personality characteristics associated with perspective-taking from early childhood to adolescence.

Examined the longitudinal relation between ego resiliency and egocentrism in 58 females and 53 males who were assessed independently from 3 to 14 yrs of age. Measures of Level 1 and Level 2 egocentrism were administered to the Ss at 3 yrs of age, and personality evaluations (the California Child Q-Set) were obtained at 3, 4, 7, 11, and 14 yrs of age in the form of Q-sort ratings by independent sets of teachers and examiners. Ss' intelligence was measured with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) when they were 4 yrs of age. The relation between egocentrism and ego resiliency was observed to depend on level of egocentrism and S's sex. For females, both Level 1 and Level 2 egocentrism were negatively correlated with ego resiliency concurrently at 3 yrs of age, but no long-term implications of egocentrism emerged. For males, Level 1 egocentrism was consistently negatively associated with ego resiliency from early childhood into adolescence. However, Level 2 egocentrism displayed no concurrent or any dependable longitudinal relation with ego resiliency. Findings support the usefulness of invoking personality characteristics to explain variations in cognitive-developmental levels among individuals. Possible interpretations of the relation between egocentrism and ego resiliency and the sex differences in the pattern of results are discussed. (72 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does comorbid substance use disorder exacerbate borderline personality features? A comparison of borderline personality disorder individuals with vs. without current substance dependence.

There is compelling evidence that comorbid borderline personality disorder (BPD) negatively impact the clinical courses and outcomes of substance use disorders (SUD). Conversely, there is little evidence that concurrent SUD exacerbates the clinical characteristics of BPD. Thus, this study sought to examine whether the presence of current substance dependence among BPD patients would be associated with stronger BPD-relevant personality traits and behavioral characteristics. Female BPD patients without (BOR; n = 37) or with current substance dependence (BSUD; n = 19), and female non-BPD/SUD controls (CON; n = 48) were compared with respect to impulsivity, affective lability, affective intensity, externalizing behaviors, and self-harming/suicidal tendencies, taking into consideration their comorbid mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and antisocial personality disorder. Results indicated that both BOR and BSUD groups scored higher than CON in most of the measures, but BOR and BSUD failed to reveal significant group differences especially when the influence of comorbid psychopathology was removed. The overall pattern of findings remained identical even when comparing BPD patients with versus without the diagnosis of lifetime substance dependence. Our results do not support the notion that BPD individuals with SUD display more severe BPD features than individuals with BPD alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relational competence, relationships, and adjustment in old age.

Investigated how the implications of relational competence and satisfying personal relationships for adjustment differ among young-old (60–72 yrs) and old-old (73–94 yrs) adults. Four studies with 377 young-old and old-old adults were conducted to test the hypothesis that among old-old Ss, adjustment and psychological well-being would be less predictable from personality (relational competence) variables or from satisfactory social involvements. Results indicate that for the young-old Ss, relational competence, social involvement, and satisfaction with social support relationships were associated positively with morale, self-esteem, and adjustment to widowhood. This pattern was not found among the old-old Ss. Findings are consistent with the (role-theoretical) view that personality characteristics assume meaning only when they have interpersonal consequences, and with the notion that the very old often experience a less prescribed and less evaluative social environment, with fewer social opportunities or role functions. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Descriptive Epidemiology of Lifetime Trauma and the Physical Health Status of Older Adults.

Three issues are evaluated in this study. The 1st involves examining the relationship between exposure to trauma over the life course and physical health status in old age. The 2nd has to do with seeing whether the relationship between trauma and health varies across 3 cohorts of older adults: the young-old (ages 65-74), the old-old (ages 75-84), and the oldest old (age 85 and over). The 3rd issue involves seeing whether the age at which a trauma was encountered is related to health in late life. Data from a nationwide survey of older people (N = 1,518) reveal that trauma is associated with worse health. Moreover, the young-old appear to be at greatest risk. Finally, data suggest that trauma arising between the ages of 18 and 30 years, as well as ages 31 to 64 years, has the strongest relationship with current health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)