Theories of personality development and empirical work alike suggest that an individual’s own views (i.e., lay theories) about personality development may influence that individual’s actual personality development. Despite this, there has been little research describing and categorizing lay theories of personality development. The purpose of the present work is to examine general mechanisms of personality change and stability through analysis of lay theories and the different contexts in which specific mechanisms may be applicable or relevant to personality development. The present study used two large longitudinal samples of undergraduate students to answer the following research questions: (1) What mechanisms do students believe cause personality change or stability?; (2) Are students consistent in their proposed mechanisms across traits?; (3) Do students report mechanisms at different rates for anticipated versus retrospective personality change or stability?; (4) Do students report mechanisms at different rates when considering personality traits specifically versus personality defined broadly?; and (5) Is mean level personality trait change associated with specific mechanisms of change or stability? The present work examined up to 13 mechanisms (depending on how personality was conceptualized) students believe are responsible for personality change or stability. The results suggest that the relevance of a given mechanism for personality development depends on the specific big five trait being considered as well as whether future or past change is being considered.
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