A Study of Personality Stability and Change in Autobiographical Narratives
Author(s): Kimberly A. Martin, Irving E. Alexander
Abstract: Differences between 12 Nonchangers, young adults who remain much the same over time, and 12 Changers, those characterized more by change, were assessed using the California Adult Q-Sort (CAQ; 1978) to rate authors' personalities reflected in free-style autobiographies written at two points in their young to middle adulthood. Thirty-eight traits in early adulthood, and 34 traits at the second writing, significantly distinguished Changers from Nonchangers. For both time periods, Nonchangers were rated as more salient in desirable characteristics (e.g., dependable, warm and compassionate) and less salient in unfavorable characteristics (e.g., thin-skinned, defensive, irritable) than Changers. Autobiographies were also rated using the Adjective Checklist (ACL; Gough and Heilbrun, 1983). A similar pattern of significant differences on 6 of the eleven scored scales was observed. Qualitative analysis of cases is used to illustrate patterns of stability and change.
Pages: 253-271
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