Getting Curious About Personality Stability
Subject: Exploring Dramatic Change in Therapy
Dear Therapists,
This month, I’m getting curious about personality stability, especially after witnessing a fascinating case with one of my clients. Despite being low in personality stability, this client made a dramatic positive change and has maintained it.
I’ve actually had this happen a few times. A client comes in and makes progress very quickly ( when I thought it would take a long time), or a long-term client suddenly makes a dramatic change. Have you ever had this happen?
I recently read an article on personality stability that helps me understand this.
This gives me hope and raises intriguing questions about how personality stability works. 🌟
How Did This Happen?
Understanding how a client with low personality stability can make and sustain a significant positive change can offer valuable insights for our practice. Here are some ideas I have about how personality theory can help us understand.
What is Personality?
Personality combines thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make up who we are. Although once believed to be permanent and relatively unchangeable, we now know it can change based on various factors.
What Do We Know About Personality Stability?
1. Life Stages and Personality Change
Young Adulthood: Significant changes often occur due to new experiences, responsibilities, and relationships. This period can be highly formative.
Middle Age: Personality traits tend to stabilize as individuals settle into their careers and family life. This is often the period of greatest stability.
Older Adulthood: Changes can happen again due to retirement, health issues, and other significant life events. Adaptability in this stage can lead to changes in personality traits.
2. The Big Five Personality Traits
The Big Five traits (agreeableness, neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness) are central to understanding personality stability:
Agreeableness: Generally increases with age, reflecting a tendency towards greater compassion and cooperation.
Neuroticism: Tends to decrease over time, indicating a reduction in emotional instability and anxiety.
Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Openness: These traits show more varied patterns, with some stability and some changes depending on individual experiences and contexts.
3. Individual Variability in Stability
Stable Traits: Some people have inherently stable personality traits, showing little change over time. This can be due to a combination of genetic predispositions and consistent life experiences.
Variable Traits: Others exhibit more variability in their personality traits. This can result from diverse life experiences, flexibility in adapting to new situations, and different coping mechanisms.
Understanding Why Some Clients Struggle with Change
1. Genetics and Early Experiences
Genetic Factors: Genetic predispositions play a significant role in determining baseline personality traits and their stability.
Early Childhood Experiences: Early life experiences, including parenting style, education, and social interactions, set the foundation for personality development.
2. Environmental Factors
Long-Term Relationships: Stable and supportive relationships can reinforce consistent personality traits.
Career and Living Conditions: Consistent work environments and stable living conditions contribute to the reinforcement of personality traits.
Life Events: Major life changes, such as moving, changing jobs, or experiencing loss, can disrupt stability and lead to personality changes.
3. Random Life Events
Unexpected Changes: Random and unforeseen events can challenge existing personality traits and prompt changes. Adaptability to these events can result in varying levels of personality stability.
Implications for Therapy
1. Assessing Personality Stability
Tools and Assessments: If you use assessment tools, consider evaluating your clients' personality stability. Tools like the Big Five Personality Test can help gauge their traits and stability.
2. Tailored Therapeutic Approaches
Custom Interventions: Consider informing your interventions based on the client’s personality profile. For clients with high stability, focus on accepting the possibility of gradual changes and the need for consistent reinforcement. For those with lower stability, embrace the possibility potential for rapid change and adaptability.
3. Educating Clients
Self-Awareness: Help clients understand their personality tendencies. This self-awareness can foster acceptance, instill hope and set realistic expectations for change
Practical Applications and Resources
1. Personality Stability Assessments
Big Five Personality Test: This tool gauges personality traits and their stability.
2. Setting Goals
If a client is slow in reaching goals, consider using personality stability as a way to help them accept this.
Conversely, you can highlight their ability to make a rapid change if they struggle with markers of “instability.”
Contemplation and Pondering
Even if you don't use formal assessment tools, simply pondering these ideas can be beneficial. Reflect on how personality stability or instability might influence your client's ability to change. Think about how their environment, life experiences, and inherent traits interact to shape their journey. This can also be helpful for you as a therapist if you are struggling with a lack of progress with a client. 💭
Is This Concept Controversial?
The concept of personality stability is still evolving and can be somewhat controversial. The debate continues about how stable or changeable personality traits genuinely are.
By exploring the concept of personality stability, we can gain new perspectives and tools to support our clients in their transformative journeys. Let’s continue to be curious and open to learning how these ideas can enhance our practice. 🌈
Warm regards,
Kristen McClure