“Age is opportunity”: Women’s personality trajectories from mid- to later-life

Publication date: Available online 19 April 2019Source: Journal of Research in PersonalityAuthor(s): Nicky Newton, Abigail J. Stewart, Elizabeth A. VandewaterAbstractPrevious scholarship examining Erikson’s (1980) constructs of generativity versus stagnation, and ego integrity versus despair has primarily focused on generativity or ego integrity, with little examination of stagnation or despair. The current study uses four waves of longitudinal data from a total of 166 women, ages 43 to 72, to assess whether these characteristics are best measured via four separate or two bipolar dimensions, and to examine developmental trajectories in resulting scales. We hypothesized developmental trajectory increases for generativity and ego integrity, and declines for stagnation and despair. Results indicated that generativity and ego integrity showed linear increases with no significant decline; however, stagnation and despair showed curvilinear patterns. Findings highlight the importance of examining these constructs independently and longitudinally.

Source: Journal of Research in Personality - April 20, 2019 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research