Personality trait development and social investment in work

A three-year longitudinal study of actively employed individuals (N = 391) was used to test the relationship between social investment at work, which is the act of cognitively and emotionally committing to one‘s job or career, and both cross-sectional and longitudinal patterns of personality trait development. Participants provided ratings of personality and social investment at work at two time-points, separated by approximately three years. Data were analyzed using two-wave latent change models. Results showed that conscientiousness and other personality traits were related to social investment at work. Additionally, evidence was found for a positive association between longitudinal change in social investment in work and change in personality traits—especially conscientiousness. Finally, the concurrent longitudinal changes in social investment and personality traits were invariant across age groups, suggesting that personality traits remain plastic across the lifespan. Implications for personality development and future research directions are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Hudson, Nathan W.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Roberts, Brent W.

• personality
• personality development
• social investment

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2011 Nathan W. Hudson

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/26328

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/26328