The longitudinal interplay between life events and socially aversive traits

Abstract

Previous research has linked adult personality development to the occurrence of major life events, such as starting one’s first job. However, this research has rarely included socially aversive traits which are characterized by self-centered and socially antagonistic behavior. The current study examined the interplay between life events and four aversive traits—narcissistic admiration, narcissistic rivalry, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy—in a sample of young adults aged 18 to 30. A total of N = 871 university students were assessed four times over two years (N_T2 = 553, N_T3 = 567, N_T4 = 539). Latent change models were used to estimate (a) associations between baseline trait levels and the occurrence of these events at T3 (selection effects) and (b) associations between life events at T3 and subsequent changes in trait levels (socialization effects). While two of five preregistered selection hypotheses were confirmed, all four socialization hypotheses were rejected. Exploratory analyses revealed associations predominantly concerning psychopathy. For example, starting a new job, becoming the victim of a crime, and losing a family member were all associated with a relative increase in psychopathy. The results support the notion of selection and socialization effects for psychopathy, but are less clear for the other aversive traits.

Plain language summary

A person’s personality can change over time and it is conceivable that these changes occur in response to life events. While several studies have provided evidence for this idea, very few studies have investigated this for personality traits that are characterized by self-centered, callous, and inconsiderate behavior (so-called aversive personality traits). In the current study, we investigated this question for four such traits: (1) the tendency to promote oneself as a grandiose person (narcissistic admiration); (2) the tendency to defend one’s ego by devaluing or attacking others (narcissistic rivalry); (3) the tendency to manipulate others in order to achieve one’s goals (Machiavellianism); and (4) the tendency to behave in an impulsive and callous manner (psychopathy). It is important to better understand the factors related to changes in these traits, because they are related to many problematic outcomes. We asked 871 university students between the ages of 18 and 30 to fill out questionnaires that assess these personality traits four times over a period of two years. The third time, we also asked them which life events had occurred in the previous six months. We tested (a) whether the likelihood of experiencing different life events differed between people who had higher or lower scores on the personality traits. We also tested (b) whether the occurrence of any of the life events was related to subsequent trait changes. Results showed that the initial personality trait scores were often related to the likelihood of experiencing an event. For example, people with higher scores in narcissistic rivalry were more likely to subsequently experience a breakup. However, only few life events were related to subsequent changes in personality traits. For example, psychopathy increased (or decreased less strongly) for people who had just moved out of their parents’ home. Altogether, our study adds to a growing body of research on life events and personality development.