In this study, longitudinal data from two national panel studies were used to examine mean-level and differential stability in personality traits over an eight-year time span, and how stability or change was related to life events. Results showed that, in both samples, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness increased over the life span, whereas Openness to Experience and Neuroticism decreased over the life span, replicating prior work and extending it to three waves of data (e.g., Lucas & Donnellan, 2011; Specht, Egloff, & Schmuckle, 2011; Wortman, Lucas, & Donnellan, 2012). In addition, results indicated that experiencing the birth of a child was associated with a decrease in Conscientiousness, whereas marriage was weakly associated with a decrease in Agreeableness, again, replicating prior work (Specht et al., 2011). This study also explored the potential role of the normativeness of the event experience to determine if experiencing a life event at a socially average time might increase its association with personality change, as suggested by past researchers (Neyer, Mund, Zimmerman, & Wrzus, 2013). Results showed that normativeness did not increase the association between life events and mean-level personality trait change. With regard to differential stability, results showed that differential stability (or rank-order stability) showed an inverted U-shaped pattern over the life span, again, replicating past studies showing the same patterns (Lucas & Donnellan, 2011; Wortman et al., 2012). Finally, differential stability showed a positive association with experiencing a greater number of life events between 2009 and 2013, supporting the notion of cumulative continuity (Caspi et al., 2005), or the idea that experiencing life events strengthens personality traits. Overall, this study supports prior work in personality trait stability and change, and represents the first exploration of the role of normativeness of life events as a possible moderator of personality trait change. The implications of these results are discussed.
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