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Wiebke Bleidorn
Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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Christopher J. Hopwood
Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
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Mitja D. Back
Department of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Jaap J. A. Denissen
Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Marie Hennecke
Department of Psychology, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
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Patrick L. Hill
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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Markus Jokela
Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Christian Kandler
Department of Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
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Richard E. Lucas
Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
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Maike Luhmann
Department of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Ulrich Orth
Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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Brent W. Roberts
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA
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Jenny Wagner
Department of Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Cornelia Wrzus
Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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Johannes Zimmermann
Department of Psychology, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany
Abstract
Personality traits continue to change throughout the lifespan. However, we still know little about when, why, and how personality traits change. In this paper, we review the current state of scientific evidence regarding the nature, sources, and processes of personality trait stability and change. We revisit past disputes over the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences, discuss studies on life events and personality trait development, and summarize theory and research on personality change processes. In doing so, we derive general principles of personality trait development, highlight limitations of past research, and present the broad outlines for future research on personality trait development, with a particular emphasis on relevant methodological issues and conceptual challenges.