Implicit theories of personality change.

Abstract

Cognitive personality theory and implicit theories were described and used as guides to the study of implicit theories of personality change (ITPCs). College students' ITPCs were examined using 3 measurement procedures in 6 studies (ns = 101, 77, 123, 102, 73, & 163). The results of Studies 1-3 indicate that (a) individuals differ reliably in the extent to which they believe that their personality changes across the lifespan, (b) perceptions of malleability vary systematically across five personality domains (i.e., goals, traits, motives, emotions, and values), and (c) ITPCs vary systematically with possible selves. In terms of the average amount of perceived change across the lifespan (i.e., lifespan variance), respondents perceive goals as more malleable across the lifespan than any other type of personality construct included in these studies. Values are also viewed as relatively malleable across the lifespan, whereas traits, motives, and emotions are perceived as being relatively stable. In terms of prototypical patterns of change, ITPCs can be described by 3 or 4 dominant prototypes. Patterns of change associated with goals are viewed most often as conforming to an inverted U-shaped prototype, whereas patterns of change associated with traits and values are viewed most often as conforming to an early-increase-followed-by-stability prototype. ITPCs associated with motives are about equally likely to be viewed as conforming to the inverted U-shaped and early-increase-followed-by-stability prototypes, and ITPCs associated with emotions are viewed most often as conforming to a prototype that represents many changes across the lifespan (i.e., the cubic (or higher) level prototype). The results of Studies 3 and 4 reveal negative correlations between ITPCs and internality, particularly for females, indicating that stability theorists perceive greater amounts of control over their experience than malleability theorists. The Active Malleability Scale (AMS), described in Study 5, was designed to measure individual differences in beliefs about the extent to which changes in one's own personality occur as a function of personal choice. The results of Study 6 demonstrate that internally and externally-controlled malleability theorists can be distinguished on the basis of AMS scores and a variety of additional personality variables (e.g., mastery, self-esteem, desirability of control).