PERSONALITY CHANGE PREDICTS WISDOM IN OLD AGE. (11th November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Staudinger, U M; Law, A; Wink, P
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 2(2018)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 553
• Page End: 553
• Publication Date: 2018-11-11
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy023.2044
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: There has been growing interest in the role that two types of positive personality development, that is, personality maturation towards adjustment and towards growth, might play in the development of wisdom. This research, however, has been cross-sectional. In research using performance measures of wisdom there is a shortage of longitudinal data. The present study aims to fill that gap. To pursue this aim, we carried out latent growth curve and latent class analysis in a sample of 203 participants from the Institute of Human Development's longitudinal dataset covering 40 years of adult life (30s-70s). Previously validated scales measuring Personality Growth and Personality Adjustment were used. Results provide the first longitudinal evidence for an ontogenetic model of wisdom and suggest that personality characteristics established even by young adulthood are important for the development of wisdom in later life.