personality changes over a life time

Running head : PERSONALITY CHANGES OVER A LIFETIME

Personality Changes over a Lifetime

Abstract

This is about the personality changes that an individual undergoes as he ages , especially in relation to the numerous problems that the elderly face , and the specialized training that a psychologist and personality theorist needs in to help the elderly through their problems and difficulties , at a time when they feel alone and depressed and unable to cope with what life offers

Personality Changes over a Lifetime

Although it may be true that ancient wisdom had dictated

that an individual 's personality would be `set in stone ' when he reached the age of thirty , this may no longer be true , states modern research . In fact states a US based research on the issue of personality changes over a person 's lifetime people may indeed grow wiser as they mature Conscientiousness , agreeableness , neuroticism , openness and extraversion were the five `key ' personality traits that were taken into account , on the 130 ,000 people aged from twenty one to sixty years , in this research , and it was concluded that these traits did not depend upon mood at any stage , because of the fact that they may be genetic , and may only change very gradually , if at all , as the person grew older . Some of the interesting revelations were that while women displayed more signs of neuroticism as they aged , men did not , and also that openness tended to decline as the individual aged . An increased ability to deal with challenges was seen in the twenties , while the ability to show warmth and compassion increased during the thirties (Bhattacharya , Shaoni (2003

Today , the research and the study of culture and personality have been found to help those individuals who have to cope with personality changes , especially when they have grown older . Counselors too make use of research to address better the clinical needs of elderly patients under their care , although it is true that they would need specialized training and skills to deal with the elderly . It would help to remember the difference between a twenty year old and an eighty year old : while a twenty year old may recognize the fact that several uninterrupted years of life , both personal as well as professional , lie ahead for him , an eighty year old may recognize the fact that this may be the last decade of his life , and this would mean that his life goals would be completely different than that of the twenty year old , and it shows that time can play a critical role in influencing one 's life goals . The older individual would in all probability select one or two goals that would have an immediate positive impact on his life , and this would in turn mean , according to socio economic selectivity theory , that for the elderly , only those goals that would offer them immediate positive benefit would be important , rather than , for example , starting a new social network , and as Cartensen stated , the older person be...