People's life goals relate to their personality type

Date:
September 16, 2020
Source:
University of California - Davis
Summary:
A new study suggests that for the most part, people formulate
goals consistent with their personality traits.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In the first research of its kind, a new University of California, Davis,
study suggests that for the most part, people formulate goals consistent
with their personality traits -- and an individual's goals are related
to how their personality subsequently changes over time.


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The study surveyed more than 500 students when they started college, each
year during college, and 20 years later on their goals related to being creative, having a successful career, having a family, being wealthy,
or being active in religion or politics. The goals of these UC Berkeley students -- about half were still responding after two decades -- remained relatively stable over time, though there were some notable changes.

"This study was a unique opportunity to examine how individuals'
personalities and major life goals were related to each other across two decades of life," said Olivia E. Atherton, the lead author of the study
and former doctoral student in psychology at UC Davis. "We found that,
in many ways, one's personality shapes the types of life goals that are
valued, and as a result of pursuing those goals, personality changes." Successful people stress goals Various enormously successful people,
such as Albert Einstein, have noted the importance of goals, researchers
said. Einstein once said, for example: "If you want to live a happy
life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things." The personality characteristics he possessed were likely the driving force behind the
types of goals he aimed to achieve, researchers said.

"Einstein's tendency to be creative, curious, and intellectual likely
fueled his scientific goals, as well as his more aesthetic goals, such
as his passion for playing the violin," the study authors wrote.



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The study, "Stability and Change in Personality Traits and Major Life
Goals from College to Midlife," was published in late August in the
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

Besides Atherton, co-authors include Richard Robins, a professor
of psychology who is director of the UC Davis Personality, Self and
Emotion Lab; as well as Emily Grijalva, University of Buffalo; and Brent
W. Roberts, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

The personality traits examined in the present study are termed the
"Big Five" in psychology. They are neuroticism, extraversion, openness
to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness. These five traits
broadly capture most of the ways in which people differ from one another,
and they are related to a wide range of important life outcomes.

Researchers examined these traits, along with aesthetic goals (wanting to
be creative and artistic); economic goals (wanting to have a successful
career and be wealthy); family/relationship goals (wanting to be married
and have children); hedonistic goals (wanting to have fun and experience pleasure); political goals (wanting to have influence in public affairs); religious goals (wanting to participate in religious institutions);
and social goals (wanting to help others in need).

." .. We found that, on average, individuals increased in agreeableness
and conscientiousness, decreased in neuroticism, and showed little
change in openness to experience and extraversion from age 18 to 40," researchers said.

Some goals become less relevant They also found that people place less importance on all goals over time, suggesting that individuals winnow
the goals they value with age, presumably because they are achieving
milestones associated with those goals and thus, the goals become less important as a result.

"By identifying their own personal strengths and limitations, middle-aged adults may place less importance on certain major life goals because
some goals may no longer be viewed as self-relevant," researchers said.

The authors did find that personality traits are related to major life
goal development over time. For example, individuals who become more
agreeable, kind and compassionate, also tend to place more emphasis on
social and family/ relationship goals over time. And, individuals who
become more responsible, organized and self-controlled tend to value
more economic and family goals.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_California_-_Davis. Original written by Karen
Nikos-Rose. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Olivia E. Atherton, Emily Grijalva, Brent W. Roberts, Richard
W. Robins.

Stability and Change in Personality Traits and Major Life Goals
From College to Midlife. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,
2020; 014616722094936 DOI: 10.1177/0146167220949362 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200916135605.htm

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