Wish you could change, but think you’re too old? You’ll be happy to know that a growing body of research shows the continued evolution of personality across the decades of adulthood. What’s unclear from this literature is whether this evolution is in a good (adaptable) or bad (maladaptive) direction. In the best of all possible worlds, people would show positive growth over time as they adapt to the many left curves that life can throw at them. The question is, how can this be proven?
One nagging issue that can never be eliminated is that only those left standing in their latter decades of the 70s, 80s, and beyond can actually be studied. The others don’t survive that long. The problem here is that it could be those who live longer are more mature and adaptable than those who are no longer there to be studied. It’s not that people actually change for the better, but that—in contrast to the popular Billy Joel song—”only the good die old.”
Toward a Measure of Psychological Health
As noted by University of Zurich’s Christopher Hopwood and colleagues (2026), overall personality functioning (PF) captures this concept of “general personological maturity.” This quality is captured in what’s known as the Alternative Model of Personality Disorders (AMPD), a counterpoint to the diagnoses of personality disorders (PDs) in the DSM-5-TR (the psychiatric manual). PF is used to define a PD as a general class of psychological dysfunction. This is different from the set of specific personality traits, such as those represented by the Five Factor Model (FFM). These traits, which include conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness, serve as indicators of specific ways that a PD manifests itself.
Translating this into perhaps more understandable terms, you might have a medical condition making it difficult for you to breathe, suggesting that whatever specific diagnosis you receive will fall into the general category of respiratory diseases. Applying this to personality disorders, you might have a low level of PF. The specific personality disorder for which you’re diagnosed would reflect which trait or traits from the FFM are particularly elevated.
Separating Personality Functioning From Personality Traits Over Time
Hopwood et al. point out that PF, as a overarching quality, has its roots in Freudian theory, representing the degree of progress an individual has made in achieving maturity. A PD reflects, they note, an “underdeveloped or immature personality.” Some of this might sound a bit judgy and old-fashioned to you, especially if you believe that psychology has (or should have) moved on from Freud. Hopwood et al.’s contention is that it’s important to separate changes in traits over time from the overall direction of greater adaptability. This still begs the question of whether the “bad died young,” however. Even so, if the more adaptable people live longer, that’s still worth knowing.
The U. Zurich researchers followed 733 adults (beginning at an average age of 33 years) with one of four diagnosed PDs or depressive disorder and no PD. Over the 10-year span of the study, participants completed a standard FFM measure (331 participants remained for this testing). They were also assessed for PDs with standard instruments. The authors used these sources to estimate statistical models of changes in PF and PDs, using individual scores on each of these instruments to chart changes over time.
The findings showed that, over the 10-year period of the study, PF showed itself to be a “general maturation factor” that was correlated with reductions in PD ratings. The authors interpreted this finding as support for the proposition that personality, including the general personality disorder factor, matures over time. The positive changes, they further claim, are consistent with both layperson and expert ideas of the “healthy personality.” Their conclusion is that “people follow a singular pathway toward maturity that reduces risk for personality problems and is distinct from the traits that shape their personality style.”
Following the Tracks of Personality Over Time
The growth of personality functioning documented in this comprehensive investigation should provide you with reassurance that, no matter where you are in your own developmental trajectory, change for the good will lie ahead. You may be more or less neurotic, perhaps a bit less cheerful than you would like, or even prone to doubts of your self-worth. However, as the Hopwood et al. study suggests, these traits are likely to evolve in a direction that enhances your overall psychological “health.”
These results also provide encouragement for individuals dealing with the challenges of living with a personality disorder. This study’s evidence of developmental processes, which are rarely examined in this field, suggests that people either learn to modulate their symptoms over time or at least become better able to cope with them.
Personality Essential Reads
Turning to the FFM tradition, there has been a general assumption that personality traits are stable over time. However, there is increasing recognition that changes can and do occur, particularly with respect to the kind of life events that can set people back (such as loss and romantic breakups) or propel them forward (positive relationship experiences). The Hopwood et al. findings suggest not only that personality traits can change but also that individuals can modulate their level of functioning to create their own favorable conditions for growth.
To sum up, your personality now may not be the personality you will have in five, 10, or more years. The positive changes that can occur will only serve to boost your fulfillment over time.
