Personality and adjustment

Rhodes, Margaret (2005) Personality and adjustment. University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.

Record type: Thesis (Doctoral)

Abstract

Personality and psychopathology are associated in adults (e.g. Krueger, Caspi, Moffitt, 2000). There have also been studies on continuities between early childhood characteristics such as temperament and later psychopathology (Caspi, 2000) however, it is unclear what produces this relationship. For exampie, personality may reflect a dimension of behaviour at the extreme of which is psychopathology (Graham & Stevenson, 1987) or personality may act as a risk factor for psychopathology (Rutter, Sillberg, O'Conner, Simonoff, 1999). These issues can be addressed using genetic methodologies, but there has been relatively little research to date. To look at this personality and adjustment were assessed in a sample of adolescent and young adult twins and their siblings (n = 609) using a personality measure specifically designed to avoid overlap with adjustment measures. While genetic and environmental factors contributed to variation in both personality and adjustment measures, genetic factors accounted for the majority of variation in the relationship between personality and adjustment. Findings of common genetic influences on personality and adjustment are consistent with Graham & Stevenson's (1987) suggestion that variation in adjustment may reflect extremes in personality.

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