Personality: an individual’s unique and relatively stable patterns of thought and behavior - Everyone has personality to the same degree - there is no “more” or “less” - Personality = what makes you, YOU Three Personality Questions Stability across Time 1. Does personality remain stable over time? A. Yes, personality remains stable once you hit adulthood for the rest of your life B. No, personality is dynamic, and remains somewhat fluid and changeable across the lifespan Personality traits: personal qualities and behaviors such as beliefs, habits, goals, values, and attitudes How to test it: longitudinal studies testing personality traits across a span of time - Outcome: personality traits continue to be stronger in comparison to others over time (i.e. a shy person will continue to be more shy than their peers for their lifespan) Maturity principle: the idea that as you age, personality traits related to maturity tend to increase, and those related to immaturity decrease - The core aspects of personality seem to be relatively stable, but as you age, you tend to change in a more mature direction Stability across Situations 2. Does your personality remain stable across situations?