People’s personalities are usually influenced by various factors such as genetics, gender, and the environment they live in. However, some researchers speculate that age has a significant impact on personalities. There is an assertion that as individuals age, their personalities evolve throughout the ages. It is from this foundation that this article investigates several studies carried out by different researchers on the topic. As it will be noticed in the article, the various studies use different variables which may be the basis for the considerable differences in their findings. Under each study, the article will examine the specific variables or attributes used, the findings of the study, criticisms, the current issues related to each theory, and the contributions they have made to the study of aging.
The Kansas City Studies of Adult Life
To investigate personality change with age, the University of Chicago researchers sampled a group of middle-class whites who were middle-aged as well as the elderly. All of the subjects were married and were living in Kansas City which was considered an average American city (Belsky, 1990). The researchers interviewed and tested the subjects for several years to ensure that the findings were considerably consistent. It is important to note that the research was psychoanalytic, in that the subjects were given pictures to describe upon which their responses were assessed.
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Findings
The test which the University of Chicago researchers used to carry out the investigation referred to as the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), was meant to show the unconscious motivations. The researchers would show pictures to people of varying ages and require them to tell a story about each scene. The assumption was that by telling those stories, individuals would disclose their conflicts, concerns, as well as, underlying worldview. The researchers however grouped the stories into two in which they labelled them as either ego energy or mastery style. The ego energy related to how vigorous, energetic or passionate the individual engaged in the story. The mastery style measured whether the main character in the story was confronting and triumphing over a challenge or retracting from the world. If the message of the story revealed success and personal triumph, researchers believed that it reflected the individual’s approach to life. The study established that ratings of ego energy as well as active mastery reduced in people who were in their late middle-age and those in their early fifties. Therefore, it was evident that as people grew older, they became involved in the world less. This withdrawal from the activities of the world is what is widely known as the disengagement theory. Several researchers contented that people will always tend to dissociate themselves emotionally from the society and even participate partially in various roles they are assigned (Kolb, 2014). Another interesting observation was made when a picture of an old man and woman was given to people in their middle ages as well as the elderly to describe. The younger people described the old man as being dominant and the old woman as gentle and submissive. The older men and women on the contrary reversed the adjectives. The woman was seen as powerful while the old man was described as submissive.
Criticisms and Current Issues
Perhaps the most prominent criticism of the study is that is that it was bias in the sense that it seemingly used gender stereotypes to present its findings. People might argue that at the time of the study, gender stereotypes were still rife, thus, the research could be accurate in regard to that time. However, the findings of the study cannot apply to the contemporary world because the roles of both men and women have significantly changed over time (Christopher, 2013). Women nowadays can perform tasks that were originally considered a preserve for men. Also, many gerontologists differed with the notion that disengagement was necessary as people grow older. In fact, some researchers suggested that as people age, they ought to stay as active as possible in the activities of the world, which is summarily known as the activity theory. Overly, it seems that people have different preferences and therefore should not be subjected to generalizations. Some people are happy getting disengaged from some roles as they age while others appreciate staying active. It is through such generalization that people are subjected to discriminations such as mandatory retirement because people think that elderly people are no longer keen on their roles (Christopher, 2013). Studies also reveal that contrary to the idea that disengagement only occurs only in later years, it happens gradually throughout an individual’s adult life. Lastly, the change in personalities of people as they age is not universally the same but can be influenced by other factors such as cultural constraints.
Costa and Mccrae’s Big Five Traits
Findings
Costa and McCrae set out to investigate whether people change in regards to the big five personality traits as they age. The five personality traits include neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness. The two researchers found out that the five traits remained relatively the same throughout the aging process. For instance, the personality traits subjects investigated when they were thirty-five remained unchanged when they were eighty-five. It was revealed that the five personality traits were more influenced by hereditary factors than did age.
Criticisms and Current Issues
Critics say that Costa and McCrae’s study in itself is limiting. The basis upon which the researchers conduct their study does not depict the true situation. The big five traits are inherent factors which may not be the best variables for conducting the analysis (Christopher, 2013). While the study theoretically argues that people do not change, observation may reveal otherwise. Conventionally, many people can see change among people as they age. Therefore, it is possible to realize change if researchers look beyond the five traits. The study was also carried out within a short time, a time span which may not depict any significant changes. If the study was to be conducted over a longer period, perhaps change would be noticed.
McAdams and Generativity
McAdams set out to investigate whether there are some common traits, feelings or attributes that people have as they age. McAdams developed a generativity script upon which people from different backgrounds were compared. Some of the variables investigated included cultural demand, concern, inner desire, belief, commitment and action. To measure generativity, people must be at the right stages of their life (Belsky, 1990). For instance, it would be inappropriate to conduct studies among children. Therefore the study is best conducted among the ageing. It was revealed that as people age, they aspire to leave a legacy behind. They would want to be credited for doing something constructive that would impact positively on the next generation. People will always review their experiences in what is known as self-schemas to measure their satisfaction in life. According to Cartensen’s socioemotional-selectivity theory, people’s goals and aspirations change as they age (Bernard, 2014). For instance, older people would want to leave an impact before they die while younger adults may only be interested in doing the best at their places of work. In summary, according to the various researchers, people do not only change in their physical appearance but also in psychological and emotional aspects. Various inherent factors such as the big five traits may remain relatively unchanged because they are controlled more by genetic factors than the environment. However, there are aging aspects that remain considerably the same across all cultures such as the aspiration to leave a legacy.
References
Belsky, J. (1990). The psychology of aging: Theory, research, and interventions. Brooks/Cole Pub. Co. Bernard, M. E. (2014). The Strength of Self-Acceptance [recurso electrónico]: Theory, Practice and Research. Christopher, G. (2013). Psychology of Ageing. Palgrave Macmillan. Kolb, P. (2014). Understanding aging and diversity: Theories and concepts. Routledge.
