Research Feed

This longitudinal study, tracking 300 couples from the 1930s through 1980, identifies personality as a primary driver of long-term marital success. The most significant predictors of both dissatisfaction and divorce were the neuroticism of both spouses and the husband’s impulse control. While soc...

Daniel Levinson’s structural approach to adult development centers on the Life Structure, the underlying pattern of an individual's life at any given time. This development progresses through a sequence of nine periods from age 17 to 65, alternating between stable structure-building phases and tu...

This study analyzes age-related personality shifts using data from over 10,000 participants. The findings indicate that as people age, they tend to score slightly lower in Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness. Importantly, the research found no evidence of a 'mid-life crisis' in personality sc...

This study confirms high correspondence between the Five-Factor Model and the NEO inventory across time and observers. While Neuroticism and Extraversion showed strong alignment, researchers determined the fifth factor is best conceptualized as Openness to Experience rather than mere culture or i...

John L. Holland’s RIASEC theory provides a robust framework for understanding vocational behavior by matching six distinct personality types (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional) to compatible work environments. The theory posits that career satisfaction and...

This research outlines efforts to build a comprehensive taxonomy of English trait-descriptive terms, building on earlier lexical work in personality psychology. Focusing on the interpersonal domain, the authors describe systematic methods for organizing trait terms and developing measurement scal...

This seminal study provides a clear taxonomic basis for personality research, offering evidence for five relatively independent and stable dimensions. By utilizing peer nomination ratings among university students with varying levels of acquaintance, the researchers identified five consistent fac...

Carl Rogers was a cornerstone of humanistic psychology, fundamentally shifting therapy from a diagnostic model to a person-centered approach. He posited that for an individual to achieve 'self-actualization,' they require an environment characterized by genuineness, empathy, and unconditional pos...

This research demonstrates a powerful link between how socially desirable a personality trait is perceived to be and how likely people are to claim they possess it. By comparing scale values for 140 items against actual endorsement rates, the study found a very high correlation of .871. This sugg...

This study tests the reliability of using language to categorize personality traits. By having judges sort 300 representative words into specific categories, researchers found that while agreement was far higher than chance, individual biases (or 'leniency') often skewed results. Interestingly, t...

This comprehensive overview traces the history of personality study, from early characterology to modern psychological science. It explores how heredity and personal growth shape the self, while introducing the idea of 'functional autonomy': the concept that our motives can become independent of ...