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Old 07-30-2008, 11:18 AM   #3 (permalink)
Mags
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According to the theories, most people's personality does become fairly stable after adolescence. Again, according to the theories, large scale change is very rare, although it is usually acknowledged that people will experience smaller changes within a certain range either side of their preferred point on the continuum of each characteristic (e.g. the continuum between Introversion-Extraversion).

These theories don't always take into account people who actively work to change their personalities, such as through personal development. Once a base point is established after adolescence, it can be a challenge to move away from it, but it can be done. The base point can be shifted.

Remember also that, although there are many researchers still working to establish new theories of personality, many of the ones currently in use were developed quite a few years ago, and often reflect a more stable worldview (e.g. the view of getting a job and sticking with it for life), which may not be as relevant today.
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