Consistency and Change in Personality Characteristics and Affect from Middle to Late Adolescence

Abstract

Non clinical adolescents in a longitudinal study were examined at ages 16 and 18 to see whether or not there were changes in personality functioning, attitudes and affect over time, and whether or not these were related to each other. Personality functioning remained fairly consistent at both ages, with marked personality problems occurring in about one out of seven. As a group, the older adolescents demonstrated more anxiety and depression, as well as changes in certain attitudes such as more curiosity and interest in people. For individual adolescents it was found that there was considerable predictability of affect and attitudes at age 18 from the presentation at age 16. Furthermore, a relative increase in the amount of anger in middle adolescence was a predictor of personality problems in late adolescence.