Behaviour and Personality Trait Changes during Aging.
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Abstract
Personality traits and maturity are the basic principles of personality psychology. Despite their fundamental importance, few researchers go beyond the general aspects of these principles. The study aims to assist in the remedy of this overlook by investigating changes in human behaviour and personality traits at different stages of the natural ageing process. The research relies on questioners and interviews for data collection. The information can produce conclusions. The hypothesis is that as humans age, their personality traits do not stay constant.
Keywords: Personality trait, changes, age
Introduction.
During Ronald Reagan’s re-election debating circuit, he was facing a younger opponent. When asked if his age would be a hindrance to his performance, Regan replied, “I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign- I am not going to exploit, for political purpose, mu opponent’s youth and inexperience.” The exchange was more significant than a casual consideration may reveal. Regan’s reply was a rebuff, just as his opponent’s age afforded him physical endurance, Regan’s age gave him experience and a mature personality. As a person ages, their physical appearance and tolerance gradually diminish. However, their personality matures.
A person’s personality is a significant part of their identity. It acts as a two-way filter through which a person experiences and responds to the world. Personality traits are so influential; they act as a frame for human behaviour. A person’s personality often determines how they respond to social situations hence affecting their behaviour. The formation of personality traits occurs during childhood. Whether or not these traits remain constant throughout a person’s life is the object of this study. In a nutshell, the study aims to investigate the changes (if any) in personality traits as a person ages. Furthermore, studying personality as a social phenomenon gives context to any changes or consistency observed during the research.
The study of individuals at different stages in their lives is the most reliable way of determining the pattern (if any) of changes in personality traits concerning age. The application of the big five theory would reveal any changes along with different age groups. Ideally, the older an individual becomes they lose traits like neuroticism, conscientiousness and extraversion, in turn, they gain more agreeableness and openness. The differences can be attributed to social experiences and biological factors.
Literature Review.
Personality traits are not constant throughout a person’s lifetime. These traits mature and vary with age and social influences. Around the mid-nineteenth century, the most prominent consideration of trait psychology was in the induction and continuance of longitudinal studies. One of the outcomes of these studies was a nearly incidental look at rank-order stability which is critical to the growth of trait psychology (Costa, McCrae, & Löckenhoff, 2019). By the 1970s, many psychologists had dismissed personality traits as evidence of high stability in retests conducted over many years in several samples (Costa et al., 2019). However, studies carried out by Block (1981) and others reintroduced the idea of personality traits as lasting dispositions as a viable hypothesis. Since then, many studies, articles and journals have focused on the subject of personality, its development, and how it relates to human development. This study seeks to place the principle of personality traits within the context of age.
The concept of biological ageing is difficult to explain in precise terms. Thomas Kirkwood’s disposable soma theory attempts to define ageing within the bounds of evolution. The theory hypothesizes that a living organism has a finite amount of energy (soma) that can be used during its cellular processes (Kirkwood, 2017). Different organisms, therefore, priorities different biological process to secure its progeny. For human beings, the priority is longevity while for smaller animals (like mice) it is reproduction. Kirkwood’s theory does not view age as a process without genetic programming actively causing ageing. Over time the number of faults in an organism gradually overwhelm the endogenous replacement system, hence causing the process of biological ageing (Kirkwood, 2017).
Traits are motivational systems which have affective cores (Zillig, Hemovoer, & Dienstbier, 2002). Other researchers who perceive traits as perpetual and fervid patterns of behaviour, affect, and cognition (Zillig et al., 2002). In recent times, the growing consensus among psychologists is that a hierarchical system made of three to seven main traits can describe individual contrasts in personality. Among these traits, five have distinct notoriety (the big 5): extraversion, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness (Zillig et al., 2002). Every individual possesses the traits in the big five; however, they are subject to change caused by human development. Erik Erikson assumes that an individual experiences psychosocial demands or crisis at different stages of life, forcing their personalities to change. An example is a young person (entering adulthood) who is pushed into marriage by the pressures and perpetuating nature of society. The young person has to meet marriage’s requirement of physical and emotional intimacy (Specht et al., 2014) as opposed to the isolation and self-belonging of single life.
The big five theory is built on five broad traits. The first is extraversion, which is characterized by dynamic, assertive and talkative characteristics that draw from people with similar traits. The second is agreeableness, cooperative, kind, and compassionate traits. The third is neuroticism, features characterized by emotional instability and negative feelings. The fourth is openness, which describes people who are eager to learn new things, are imaginative, and insightful. The final trait is conscientiousness, which includes being organized, reliable, methodic and thorough. It is important to note that the big five are broad personality traits that include other traits.
Personality change in human development can change because of several factors. One of these factors is peer groups and relationships. Peers are an essential aspect of life for any individual right from childhood to adulthood. However, the role they play towards the formation and development of personality is understated. Lapp and Spaniol (2016), note that peers are omnipresent throughout a typical individual’s life, and conclude that the chances of peers affecting social behaviour (including personality) are high. Lapp and Spaniol (2016) also point out the interaction between the social environment and individuals’ actions, feelings and thoughts. The dynamic relations between people and what and who is around them plays a significant role in the maturation of personalities. The formation of identity occurs through the process of social interaction.
Health status is another factor that affects personality. During the natural ageing process, health has the most impact during old age. Anxiety is an example of a health factor. Although it affects people of all ages, the elderly are more vulnerable and often get mental disorders (Marsch, Hegel, & Greene, 2019). Since the elderly are susceptible to health issues (primarily mental disorders), they tend to experience personality trait changes as a result. Older adults with poor health tend to be more isolated, less agreeable, and are not open to experiencing life beyond their comfort zone.
New interactions can also trigger personality changes. An example is when an individual is newly employed. The people they interact within their new place of work are different than their previous workmates. Once someone is ageing, there reaches that point in which they are employed and characters to interact changes, and this goes in hand with a change in behaviour and personality of oneself. There is the occupation where one gets when he is ageing, and that too plays a more significant role of one to change personality and behaviours (Kornadt, Siebert, & Wahl, 2019). He becomes more responsible for his deeds. He lives some youthful practices. The ageing part creates that environment of ownership hence makes one leave youthful practices behind. Therefore, occupation is a factor that plays a more prominent role in the change of behaviour and personality.
Typically, an increase in age is directly proportional to increase in personality maturation—however, the later peaks during the middle-age of adulthood. Middle-age adults are more conscientious, agreeable, and able to control their emotions than people in any other age group. As people become elderly, the rate of personality maturation is indirectly proportional to the increase in age. The reverse can be attributed to the decrease of health status (Osafo, Wood, Boyce & Dunn, 2014).
Methodology
The critical concepts gathered in the study include personality, development, age, and individualism. The central focus was the significance of the material found. It was essential to read and understand the title and introduction accurately. The researcher outlined a clear description of the method and underlined some limitations of the plans, for example, the lack of standardized measures, retrospective self-report measures, among many others (Sutin et al., 2010). It allows using the research for future reference. The review of another part is detailed, innovative, and informative, giving way for discussions in the future. The research comprised the management of reactivity and bias by ensuring checking content and respondents in the study. The researchers used only the most appropriate and necessary materials in the study.
- Participants
The purpose is to observe difference or consistencies in personality traits and to collect data on the social factors that relate to the changes or consistency. The study involves individuals form different age levels ranging from thirteen years to seventy-five years; teenagers, middle-aged adults, and elderly adults. Since people from these age levels interact in different places, the sample group will be sourced from various locations; the local school (teenaged students and middle-age teachers) local college (young adults) and local elderly home.
The participants will be chosen using the purposeful non-probability method. The sample group is purposely chosen to ensure all the predetermined age groups are represented in the study. The aim is to find a continuous change or consistency, and if the age groups are not equally represented, the results would not be accurate or conclusive. The local school and elderly home were chosen as a matter of convenience. Therefore, the location is selected out of comfort, but the sample group was chosen purposely. The sample group was categories into the following levels: teenage participants (13- 19 years), young adults (20- 35 years), middle-aged adults (36years -50 years), and the older adults (55- 75 years). Each age group had ten participants.
The participants engaged in the study voluntarily. The institutions they are in playing a pivotal role since they introduced the researcher to their students, faculty, and members. Approaching, the potential sample group through the administration and management fostered trust and interest and therefore made it more likely for individuals to volunteer. The nature of the study does not infringe on the privacy of individuals on a physical basis. However, the information does speak to their thoughts, experiences, and desires. Therefore, the questionnaires and interviews are conducted anonymously to protect the participants’ identity hence making them more comfortable to answer questions honestly.
- Instrumentation
The most efficient instruments for the collection of information from the sample group are questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires contain both closed and open-ended questions which test on the big five personality traits. The interviews are structured; the aim is to qualify the answers given in the questionnaires and to allow the participants to express their responses in a more detailed and personal way. Using questionnaires and interviews give the study a more quantitative aspect, which facilitates the investigation of the relationship between personality changes and social factors and interactions. The reasons behind the variations or consistencies are better expressed by giving participants the chance to provide personalized responses.
The closed-questions in the questionnaires and interviews follow the Likert scale. The yes or no questions are designed to target responses concerning specific traits. The multiple choice questions have options meant to establish a framework for analysis. The options have one neutral response and four choices that test the intensity of the personality trait. The Likert scale gives the quantitative data a reference point (neutral responses) and sets limits that determine the extreme or passive nature of the individual’s answers.
The questionnaire follows a constant pattern. Each question focuses on a specific trait. A yes or no question is followed by a multiple choice question, then by an open ended question. The yes or no question establishes the presence of a trait in a participant’s personality. The multiple choice question establishes the strength of the trait. The open ended question allows the participant to explain or illustrate the trait or behaviours that indicate its presence. The interviews are tailored to qualify the information in the questionnaires. The instrumentation is designed to collect information unique to each participant and investigate the similarity and variations among all participants in their respective groups.
- Procedures
The research was done systematically over two days. One the first day, the researcher visited the local school. Each student and teacher was issued with a questionnaire and given twenty minutes to answer the questions. Individual interviews were then conducted; each lasted ten minutes. The entire process was conducted between 8 am and noon. On the second day, the researcher visited the local college between 8 am, and noon, the questionnaires were issued and answered within twenty minutes. The individual interviews were each done with 10 minutes. On the third day, the researcher visited the elderly home. Each participant was issued with a questionnaire and given twenty minutes to complete the questions. Individual interviews were then conducted; each session lasted ten minutes. The process was conducted between 8 am and 2 pm. The participants in the second location took longer to move from place to place; therefore prolonging the time, it took to complete the process.
Analysis
Participants within the same age groups listed similar social factors when asked to give issues they think affect them in life. The most negatively viewed in all age group is the societal pressure to conform to what is considered the norm. Other factors included peers, biological issues, and environmental factors, and health status. Regression analysis is applied to investigate the relation between age (an independent variable) and different personality traits (dependent variables) (Darlington & Hayes, 2016). How does age influence a person’s personality?
The questions in the questionnaires and interview are designed to get information on the activities individuals to engage in, what they find interesting, the people they talk to, and the people they see on a day to day basis. Other subjects are the issues that capture the participants’ attention, how they would respond to tailor-made situations and the things that motivate or hinder them in life. An analysis of this information will reveal different character traits of the individual. The traits can them be classified under the broader personality traits among the big five.
The data collected shows that age is the independent variable while the big five personality traits are dependent. The traits vary in relation to participants’ ages. Excel is the most efficient package for this analysis because it facilitates the classification of qualitative data. Excel will allow me to start with an individual’s character traits as derived from their responses and categories them into the big five traits and finally into the respective age groups. This approach makes it easier to note any changes throughout the different age groups.
Results
The analysis of the information collected from the questionnaires and interviews revealed the following:
- Seven of the ten teenage participants, aged between 13 years to 19 years gave answers that showed high levels of extraversion, neuroticism and openness. The agreeableness and conscientiousness were low.
- Eight of the ten young adults, aged between 20 years to 35 years, displayed limited extraversion, neuroticism and openness. They did have more agreeableness and conscientiousness compared to the teenage age group.
- Six of the middle-aged adults between 36years to 50 years, gave answers showing high levels of extraversion conscientiousness, and agreeableness and low levels of neuroticism and openness.
- Six of the older adults, aged 55 years to 75 years, gave answers showing high levels of neuroticism, extraversion, and openness while having low agreeableness and conscientiousness.
Discussion.
Human development has a significant effect on an individual’s personality. Different ages have different personalities distinct from each other. The results show that there is a gradual change in the personality and behavioural traits as the age group increases. The teenage and young adults show higher levels of neuroticism, extraversion and openness. The answers given by the members of these groups show that they respond erratically to situations that bring out their insecurities. They rely on the social groups they form at work, in school or within their communities. They are also more prone to being tempted into trying new things and seeking out experiences that are of interest. However, most of them are not as reliable as people in other groups, and they are either indifferent or not sympathetic to issues they decide are not of importance. It is important to note that there was a slight difference between the two groups. Young adults are less neurotic than teenagers, they seem to be in better control of their feeling and behaviours.
The results were seen in middle age group make them the peak of personality maturity. They strike the most stable balance between the highest traits in the younger age groups and the most top trait in the older age group. The limitation of extraversion, neuroticism and openness corresponds with the increase in agreeableness and conscientiousness. At this point, individuals have enough experience which cultures maturity and is still biologically fit. The final age group is older individuals. This group shows high levels of neuroticism, extraversion, and openness while having low agreeableness and conscientiousness. Health status of people within this group is the main factor affecting personality traits. Physical degradation and illnesses make it less likely for older people to seek out new experiences. Mental illnesses and memory loss also affect their traits.
The main limitation is that the focus the big five theory does not allow for the collection of enough qualitative data. Studies that rely on qualitative data tend to be more persuasive. Furthermore, the broad nature of the bid five makes it challenging to narrow down on specific character traits. The existence and extent of change in personality traits during the natural ageing process would be more comfortable to determine if a single trait could be studied in multiple individuals of different age groups.
Ultimately, the study shows that personality traits change as people age. There is a correlation between age and traits. Furthermore, the social interactions and biological factors present at different age group determine the changes that occur. Although humans have the same personality traits (the big five traits), their prominence and effects are determined by the experiences and interactions around individuals.
References
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