Individual Differences in the Effects of Life Events on Personality Trait Change

OBJECTIVE: To date, effects of life events on personality trait change have been unsystematic, tenuous, and difficult to replicate. We focus on individual differences in change processes following life events, which have been neglected in previous studies. METHOD: Based on a novel Moderated Nonlinear Latent-State-Trait modeling approach we investigate the impact of the occurrence and individual perception of life events on different types of self- and informant-reported personality trait change, considering various moderators. A total of 623 participants with up to three informants per target provided data across three assessment waves at 2-year intervals. RESULTS: Several event effects on mean-level personality change and change in trait variability emerged; however, these depended on age, gender, the individual perception of life events, the type of trait change, the time-lag between event occurrence and personality assessment, the repeated occurrence of life events, and the personality assessment method. CONCLUSIONS: This high volatility of life-event effects might serve as an explanation for the inconclusive state of research on this topic, as studies differing in one or more of these factors are unlikely to produce similar results.