Episodes

#57 Paper Spotlight: A Mathematical Model of Person Judgment with Daniel Leising

In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann speaks with Daniel Leising about his recent publication in Personality Science, titled “A Mathematical Model of Person Judgment Part I: Cue Emergence.” Co-authored with mathematician René L. Schilling, the paper introduces the first part of a formalized model of person judgment. It integrates components from existing narrative theories and presents them in a testable, mathematical framework. Daniel shares how the collaboration came about, what the model entails, and how it can be applied in both research and teaching.

Key Reference

Leising, D., & Schilling, R. L. (2025). A mathematical model of person judgment part 1: Cue emergence. Personality Science, 6, 27000710241291543. https://doi.org/10.1177/27000710241291543

#56 Leaving academia with Kate Rogers, Amy Summerville, and Tal Yarkoni

In this episode that was recorded with a live audience, Lisanne de Moor speaks with Kate Rogers, Amy Summerville, and Tal Yarkoni about their decision to leave academia. The three guests openly share their own story of leaving academia behind and how they navigated this choice. In addition, they answer questions from the live audience.

#55 Personality in the forensic system and for forensic outcomes with Estelle Moore and Martin Sellbom

In this episode, Estelle Moore and Martin Sellbom discuss with Lisanne de Moor the role of personality in forensic research and practice. They describe important personality traits as well as personality disorders and current developments in the view in the field on personality pathology. The episode concludes with an eye on crucial next steps.

Key References:

Hopwood, C.J., & Sellbom, M. (2013). Implications of DSM-5 Personality Traits for Forensic Psychology. Psychological Injury and Law, 6, 314–323. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12207-013-9176-5

Kuester, L., Freestone, M., Seewald, K., Rathbone, R., & Bhui, K. (2022). Evaluation of psychologically informed planned environments (PIPEs): Assessing the first five years. HM Prison and Probabtion Service, Ministry of Justice. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63467b7fd3bf7f6184a293c2/evaluation-of-psychologically-informed-planned-environments-pipes.pdf

Logan, C., & Johnstone, L. (2010). Personality disorder and violence: making the link through risk formulation. Journal of personality disorders, 24(5), 610–633. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2010.24.5.610

Sellbom, M. (2025). Utility in Forensic Practice. In B. Bach (Ed.), ICD-11 Personality Disorders and Related Traits (pp. 558–578). Oxford University Press.

Snowden, P., & Kane, E. (2003). Personality disorder: No longer a diagnosis of exclusion. Psychiatric Bulletin, 27(11), 401–403. https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.27.11.401

Webb, E. L., Gencarelli, B. L., Khan, M., Chatha, K., Umpunjun, P., Kamath, S., Trundle, G., & Morris, D. J. (2025). Prevalence of types of adverse childhood experiences in forensic male patient populations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse and Neglect, 166, 107503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107503

#54 Values with Anat Bardi and Laura Parks-Leduc

In this episode, Anat Bardi and Laura Parks-Leduc join Rebekka Weidmann to discuss their research on values. They delve into their unique and shared definitions and research approaches to the topic of values, explaining how values can change and their associations with personality traits. The conversation also highlights well-established evidence about values and identifies areas that remain unexplored.

Key References

Barrick, M.R. & Parks-Leduc, L. (2019). Selection for fit. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6, 171-193. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-012218-015028

Lake, J., Bardi., A., Sneddon, J., & Lee, J. A. (in press in 2024). A fundamental difference in the nature of personal values and personality traits revealed through different patterns of stability across their distributions. Journal of Personality. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jopy.12979

Lee, J. A., Bardi, A., Gerrans, P., Sneddon, J., van Herk, H., Evers, U., & Schwartz, S. H. (2022). Are value-behavior relations stronger than previously thought? It depends on value importance. European Journal of Personality, 36(2), 133-148. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211002965

Leijen, I., van Herk, H., & Bardi, A. (2022). Individual and generational value change in an adult population, a 12-year longitudinal panel study. Scientific Reports, 12: 17844, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22862-1

Parks-Leduc, L., Dustin, S., Parks, T.W., & Wang, G. (2024). Team values and team performance: A two-study investigation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 73, 2263-2292. https://doi.org/10-1111/apps.12553

Parks-Leduc, L., Mulligan, L. M., & Rutherford, M. (2021). Can ethics be taught? Examining the impact of distributed ethical training and individual characteristics on ethical decision making. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 20, 30-49. https://doi.org/10.5465/amle.2018.0157

#53 Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Personality with incoming editor Matthias Ziegler and outgoing editor René Mõttus

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor talks with Matthias Ziegler and René Mõttus about the change in editorship at the European Journal of Personality and how they reflect on and look ahead at their time in the role of Editor-in-Chief.

#52 Personality and education with Jennifer Meyer and Jennifer Symonds

During this episode, Lisanne de Moor talked with Jennifer Meyer and Jennifer Symonds about the links between personality and education – and the different levels at which to address this topic. They also discuss important real-world implications of the role that personality can play in education.

Key References

Granziera, H., Collie, R. J., Martin, A. J., & Caldecott-Davis, K. (2024). Adaptability and buoyancy: investigating their unique associations with students’ wellbeing and academic achievement. Educational Psychology, 44(9–10), 927–945. https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2024.2418637

Katsantonis, I., Gibbons, R. A., Symonds, J. E. & Costello, N. (2024). To persist or not? Examining the relations between parental education, self-regulation, school engagement and persistence in post-compulsory education. British Educational Research Journal, 50, 2020–2042. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.4012

Meyer, J., Jansen, T., Hübner, N., & Lüdtke, O. (2023). Disentangling the association between the Big Five personality traits and student achievement: Meta-analytic evidence on the role of domain specificity and achievement measures. Educational Psychology Review, 35(1), 12.

Meyer, J., Lüdtke, O., Schmidt, F. T., Fleckenstein, J., Trautwein, U., & Köller, O. (2024). Conscientiousness and cognitive ability as predictors of academic achievement: Evidence of synergistic effects from integrative data analysis. European Journal of Personality, 38(1), 36-52.

Meyer, J., Fleckenstein, J., & Köller, O. (2019). Expectancy value interactions and academic achievement: Differential relationships with achievement measures. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 58, 58-74.

Smith, J., Garon-Carrier, G., Guimond, F.A., Fitzpatrick, C., Chichekian, T., St-Amand, J. & Lemieux, A. (2024). Using personality traits to predict correspondence between self-perception of academic competence and achievement: A latent profile analysis study. Social Psychology of Education, 27, 283–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-023-09814-x

#51 AI and digital personality footprints, with Sandra Matz and Michal Kosinski

René Mõttus talks to Sandra Matz and Michal Kosinski about the use of our digital footprints and AI in personality research and how this can be put to practical use. There is a lot going on in this field, with potentially profound theoretical and practical implications. Both Sandra and Michal are pioneers in this field, and Sandra has just published a book on the subject called Mindmasters.

Matz, S. (2025). Mindmasters: The data-driven science of predicting and changing human behavior. Harvard Business Review Press https://www.mindmasters.ai/

Kosinski, M. (2024, October 18). Using Big Data  (Handbook of Social Psychology). https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/rp8h5

Kosinski, M. (2024). Evaluating large language models in theory of mind tasks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(45), e2405460121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2405460121

#50 A 4th-year review with Lisanne de Moor, René Mõttus, and Rebekka Weidmann

In this episode, the three hosts reminisce about the past four years of the podcast—their favorite episodes, honorable mentions, and important lessons learned. They also talk about plans for the future of the podcast. The team’s newest addition, Celine Strohbehn, the podcast’s social media manager, is also introduced and her involvement with the podcast is described.

#49 Personality development in early life with Filip de Fruyt

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor spoke with Filip De Fruyt about his career-long commitment to studying personality development in early life and the development of maladaptive personality traits in children. He also discusses historical shifts in the field that have allowed for new questions regarding development to emerge and to be studied.

Abrahams, L., Vergauwe, J., & De Fruyt, F. (2023). Within-person personality variability in the work context: A blessing or a curse for job performance? Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(11), 1834–1855. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001101

De Clercq, B., De Fruyt, F., Van Leeuwen, K., & Mervielde, I. (2006). The structure of maladaptive personality traits in childhood: A step toward an integrative developmental perspective for DSM-V. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 115(4), 639–657. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.115.4.639

De Fruyt, F., & De Clercq, B. (2014). Childhood antecedents of personality disorders: Towards an integrative developmental model. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 10, 449-476. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032813-153634

Shiner, R. L., Soto, C. J., & De Fruyt, F. (2021). Personality assessment of children and adolescents. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology, 3(1), 113-137. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-050620-114343

Vergauwe, J., Wille, B., Hofmans, J., Kaiser, R. B., & De Fruyt, F. (2018). The double-edged sword of leader charisma: Understanding the curvilinear relationship between charismatic personality and leader effectiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 114(1), 110–130. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000147

Wille, B., & De Fruyt, F. (2014). Vocations as a source of identity: Reciprocal relations between Big Five personality traits and RIASEC vocations over 15 years. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99, 2, 262-281.

#48 The jingle jangle jungle of psychological measures, with Ruben Arslan and Farid Anvari

Much of psychological science is about measurement. But are we any good at it? How could we do (even) better? Ruben Arslan and Farid Anvari argue that researchers often act like there was no past, inventing ever new tests without re-using, improving or even referring to what already exists. This unchecked proliferation of tests has left many subfields of psychology fragmented, as research findings are often not comparable to others. But Ruben and Farid also offer a path forward and argue that there is much to be happy about in psychological measurements—it often works surprisingly well. Listen to find out why 0.42 is (not really) a magic number and how scientific debate can inspire a rap battle. Hosted by René Mõttus.

Anvari, F., Alsalti, T., Oehler, L., Hussey, I., Elson, M., & Arslan, R. C. (2024, March 22). A fragmented field: Construct and measure proliferation in psychology. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/b4muj

Elson, M., Hussey, I., Alsalti, T., & Arslan, R. C. (2023). Psychological measures aren’t toothbrushes. Communications Psychology, 1(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-023-00026-9

Iliescu, D., Greiff, S., Ziegler, M., Nye, C., Geisinger, K., Sellbom, M., Samuel, D., & Saklofske, D. (2024). Proliferation of measures contributes to advancing psychological science. Communications Psychology, 2(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44271-024-00065-w

Flake, J. K., & Fried, E. I. (2020). Measurement Schmeasurement: Questionable Measurement Practices and How to Avoid Them. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 3(4), 456–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245920952393

#47 The relaunch of the Journal Personality Science with Jaap Denissen

In this episode, Jaap Denissen, the new editor-in-chief of Personality Science, discusses the journal’s recent relaunch with Rebekka Weidmann. Jaap shares insights into what the relaunch involved, the current initiatives and goals of the journal, and highlights a recently accepted special issue. Learn more about the exciting changes and future directions of this open-access journal.

Key References

Denissen, J. J. A. (2024). United in Promoting Diversity, Transparency, Innovation, and Expansion: Five Scholarly Associations Join Forces in Relaunching Personality Science. Personality Science, 5. https://doi.org/10.1177/27000710241237944

Website of Personality Science: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/PPP

#46 Community-engaged research with LGBTQ+ communities with Nic Weststrate

In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann spoke with Nic Weststrate about how he incorporates different, but less represented methods in his research with LGBTQ+ communities, such as narratives, psychobiographies, and community-engaged work. He also talks about how the field can embrace a “Yes, and” mindset in better valuing different theoretical and empirical approaches.

References

Weststrate, N. M., Greteman, A. J., Morris, K. A., & Moore, L. L. (in press). Pathways to queer thriving in an LGBTQ+ intergenerational community. American Psychologist.https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001338

Weststrate, N. M., McLean, K. C., & Fivush, R. (in press). Intergenerational storytelling and positive psychosocial development: Stories are developmental resources for marginalized groups. Personality and Social Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683241259902

Weststrate, N. M., Morris, K. A., Moore, L. L., & Greteman, A. J. (2024). Queer(ing) vicarious memory: Lessons from an LGBTQ+ intergenerational community project. Journal of Applied Research on Memory and Cognition. 13(2), 181–184. https://doi.org/10.1037/mac0000181

McLean, K. C., Moriarty, N., Starling, K., & Weststrate, N. M. (2024). Letters from queer elders: Transmitting intergenerational wisdom in LGBTQ+ communities. Journal of Homosexuality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2024.2326482

Weststrate, N. M., & McLean, K. C. (2024). Protests, panic, policies, and parades: Memory for cultural-historical events and psychosocial identity in the LGBTQ+ community. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 11(1), 90–104. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000582

Weststrate, N. M., Turner, K., & McLean, K. C. (2024). Intergenerational storytelling as a developmental resource in LGBTQ+ communities. Journal of Homosexuality, 71(7), 1626–1651. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2202295

Morris, K., Greteman, A. J., & Weststrate, N. M. (2023). Rainbows and mud: Experiments in LGBTQ+ intergenerational care. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 49(1), 183-207. https://doi.org/10.1086/725841

Weststrate, N. M., & McLean, K. C. (2023). “You’ve gotta give them hope”: A structural psychobiography of Harvey Milk (1930-1978). Journal of Personality, 91(1), 105-119. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12744

Morris, K., Greteman, A. J., & Weststrate, N. M. (2022). Embracing queer heartache: On LGBTQ+ intergenerational dialogues. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 35(9), 928-942. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2022.2035459

#45 Counterdispositional behavior with Evy Kuijpers

In our daily lives, we may come across many situations in which we act in ways that are different from our typical personality. In this episode, Lisanne de Moor speaks with Evy Kuijpers about what counterdispositional behavior is and what the consequences of behaving in ways that are “out of character” are.

Key References

Fleeson, W., Malanos, A., & Achille, N. (2002). An intraindividual process approach to the
relationship between extraversion and positive affect: Is acting extraverted as good as
being extraverted? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(6),
1409–1422. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.6.1409

Gallagher, P., Fleeson, W., & Hoyle, R. H. (2011). A self-regulatory mechanism for
personality trait stability: Contra-trait effort. Social Psychological and Personality
Science, 2(4), 335-342. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550610390701

Kuijpers, E., Pickett, J., Wille, B., & Hofmans, J. (2021). Do You Feel Better When You
Behave More Extraverted Than You Are? The Relationship Between Cumulative
Counterdispositional Extraversion and Positive Feelings. Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211015062

Leikas, S., & Ilmarinen, V. J. (2017). Happy now, tired later? Extraverted and conscientious
behavior are related to immediate mood gains, but to later fatigue. Journal of
Personality, 85(5), 603-615. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12264

Wilt, J., Noftle, E. E., Fleeson, W., & Spain, J. S. (2012). The dynamic role of personality
states in mediating the relationship between extraversion and positive affect. Journal
of Personality, 80(5), 1205-1236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00756.x

Zelenski, J. M., Santoro, M. S., & Whelan, D. C. (2012). Would introverts be better off if
they acted more like extraverts? Exploring emotional and cognitive consequences of
counterdispositional behavior. Emotion, 12(2), 290-303. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025169

#44 Loneliness with Marlies Maes, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Marcus Mund, and Susanne Buecker

Loneliness has received a lot of attention—especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann speaks with loneliness experts Marlies Maes, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Marcus Mund, and Susanne Buecker about the definition of loneliness and related but distinct constructs, the rising interest in loneliness, measurement issues, interventions, and more.

Key References

Buecker, S., Horstmann, K. T., & Luhmann, M. (2023). Lonely today, lonely tomorrow: Temporal dynamics of loneliness in everyday life and its associations with psychopathological symptoms. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 194855062311560. https://doi.org/10.1177/19485506231156061

Buecker, S., Mund, M., Chwastek, S., Sostmann, M., & Luhmann, M. (2021). Is loneliness in emerging adults increasing over time? A preregistered cross-temporal meta-analysis and systematic review. Psychological Bulletin, 147(8), 787–805. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000332

Buecker, S., Denissen, J. J. A., & Luhmann, M. (2021). A propensity-score matched study of changes in loneliness surrounding major life events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 121(3), 669–690. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000373

Holt-Lunstad, J. (2022). Social connection as a public health issue: the evidence and a systemic framework for prioritizing the “social” in social determinants of health. Annual Review of Public Health, 43, 193-213. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-052020-110732

Maes, M., & Vanhalst, J. (2024). Loneliness as a double-edged sword: an adaptive function with maladaptive consequences. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2024.2333584
 
Maes, M., Qualter, P., Lodder, G. M., & Mund, M. (2022). How (not) to measure loneliness: A review of the eight most commonly used scales. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 10816. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710816

Qualter, P., Vanhalst J., Harris R., Van Roekel E., Lodder G., Bangee M., Maes, M., & Verhagen M. (2015). Loneliness across the life span. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10, 250-264. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615568999

General, U. S. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The US Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community 2023. Link to Document

Mund, M., Freuding, M. M., Möbius, K., Horn, N., & Neyer, F. J. (2020). The stability and change of loneliness across the life span: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 24(1), 24-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868319850738

Mund, M., Lüdtke, O., & Neyer, F. J. (2020). Owner of a lonely heart: The stability of loneliness across the life span. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 119(2), 497–516. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000262

Mund, M., Maes, M., Drewke, P. M., Gutzeit, A., Jaki, I., & Qualter, P. (2023). Would the real loneliness please stand up? The validity of loneliness scores and the reliability of single-item scores. Assessment, 30(4), 1226-1248. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911221077227

#43 Paper Spotlight with Theo Klimstra and Kate McLean

In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann spoke with Theo Klimstra and Kate McLean, the two authors of a recently accepted Target Article in the European Journal of Personality titled „Reconsidering Normative Interpretations in Personality Research“. The authors summarize their article and speak about how the field can move forward. 

Key Reference

Klimstra, T. A., & McLean, K. C. (2024). Reconsidering normative interpretations in personality research. European Journal of Personality, 08902070241238788. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070241238788

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#42 What makes personality science useful, with Bill Revelle and Bob Hogan

René Mõttus talks to Bill Revelle and Bob Hogan who are well respected personality researchers in the field. They argue that the main use of personality research is to predict what real people do in the real world. Yet, much of academic psychology has not taken this seriously, focusing on abstract ideas and models with little real-world relevance. They discuss why useful personality assessment is not about complex statistics or even measuring traits, but simply adding up questions that best predict important outcomes. They also discuss why we should stop believing in Easter Bunnies, how to reassess your work after forty years, and how to build a successful global company. And many other things.

Key References

Hogan, R., & Foster, J. (2016). Rethinking personality. International Journal of Personality Psychology, 2, 37-43.

Revelle, W. (2024). The seductive beauty of latent variable models: Or why I don’t believe in the Easter Bunny. Personality and Individual Differences, 221, 112552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2024.112552

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#41 Creativity with Rodica Damian and Andreea Sutu

Creative products—paintings, poems, but also innovative ideas like the invention of the wheel—help societies move forward. As such, it is no surprise that formal interest in creativity from psychologists dates back at least 100 years, and the informal interest arguably much longer. In this episode, Rodica Damian and Andreea Sutu, two experts in the study of creativity, discuss with Lisanne de Moor what creativity is, what the personality traits of a creative person are, and if creativity is linked to psychopathology.

Key References

Damian, R. I., & Simonton, D. K. (2015). Psychopathology, adversity, and creativity: Diversifying experiences in the development of eminent African Americans. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(4), 623–636. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000011

Damian, R. I., Spengler, M., Sutu, A., & Roberts, B. W. (2019). Sixteen going on sixty-six: A longitudinal study of personality stability and change across 50 years. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117(3), 674–695. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000210

Sutu, A.E., Hoff, K., Einarsdóttir, S., Rounds, J., & Damian, R.I. (2024). Life goal development and occupational outcomes: A 12-year, multi-sample longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Online First.

Sutu, A., Phetmisy, C. N., & Damian, R. I. (2021). Open to laugh: The role of openness to experience in humor production ability. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 15(3), 401–411. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000298

Sutu, A., Serrano, S., Schultz, L., Jackson, J. J, Damian, R. I. (2019). Creating through deviancy or adjustment? The link between personality profile normativeness and creativity. European Journal of Personality, 33, 565-588. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2215

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#40 Paper Spotlight with David Hughes and Paul Irwing

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor spoke with David Hughes and Paul Irwing, two of the authors of a recent publication in the European Journal of Personality titled „Toward a taxonomy of personality facets“. The authors summarize their article and its studies and outline how they developed the facet map.

Key Reference

Irwing, P., Hughes, D. J., Tokarev, A., & Booth, T. (2023). Towards a taxonomy of personality facets. European Journal of Personality, 08902070231200919.
https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070231200919

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#39 Life events and personality change with Wiebke Bleidorn and Chris Hopwood

Many lay people and scientists think that life events can change personality traits. But proving or disproving this has been surprisingly challenging. Wiebke Bleidorn and Chris Hopwood are among the leading researchers on this topic, and they were involved in a recent large study that summarized the evidence so far. They will talk to René Mõttus about the latest research on life events and personality trait change, and discuss possible ways forward.

Key References

Bleidorn, W., Schwaba, T., Zheng, A., Hopwood, C. J., Sosa, S. S., Roberts, B. W., & Briley, D. A. (2022). Personality stability and change: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin, 148(7-8), 588–619. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000365

Bühler, J. L., Orth, U., Bleidorn, W., Weber, E., Kretzschmar, A., Scheling, L., & Hopwood, C. J. (2023). Life events and personality change: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Personality, 08902070231190219. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070231190219

Schwaba, T., Bleidorn, W., Hopwood, C. J., Gebauer, J. E., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J., & Gosling, S. D. (2021). The impact of childhood lead exposure on adult personality: Evidence from the United States, Europe, and a large-scale natural experiment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(29), e2020104118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020104118

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#38 How to do the most good? Effective altruism, animals, and future risks with Lucius Caviola

In this episode, Lucius Caviola discusses his psychological research on effective altruism and how people can be encouraged to give more effectively. You can try out effective giving yourself using his research-based donation platform https://givingmultiplier.org/personality. The episode also explores Lucius‘ research on how we perceive the value of animals and think about future risks. 

Key References

Caviola, L., Schubert, S., & Greene, J. D. (2021). The psychology of (in) effective altruism. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(7), 596-607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2021.03.015

Caviola, L., & Greene, J. D. (2023). Boosting the impact of charitable giving with donation bundling and micromatching. Science Advances, 9(3), eade7987. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ade7987

Caviola, L., Schubert, S., Kahane, G., & Faber, N. S. (2022). Humans first: Why people value animals less than humans. Cognition, 225, 105139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105139

Wilks, M., Caviola, L., Kahane, G., & Bloom, P. (2021). Children prioritize humans over animals less than adults do. Psychological Science, 32(1), 27-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620960398

Caviola, L., Everett, J. A., & Faber, N. S. (2019). The moral standing of animals: Towards a psychology of speciesism. Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 116(6), 1011-1029. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000182

Caviola, L., Kahane, G., Everett, J. A. C., Teperman, E., Savulescu, J., & Faber, N. S. (2021). Utilitarianism for animals, Kantianism for people? Harming animals and humans for the greater good. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(5), 1008–1039. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000988

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#37 Sense of purpose with Gabrielle Pfund

Have you ever pondered about your purpose? In this episode, we talked to Gabrielle Pfund about sense of purpose. What does it mean to have a sense of purpose, how can we measure it, and how is it related to important life outcomes? Gabrielle also describes the characteristics of people who are more likely to have a sense of purpose and in what direction her research is headed.

Key References

Pfund, G. N. (2023). Applying an Allportian trait perspective to sense of purpose. Journal of Happiness Studies, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-023-00644-4

Pfund, G. N., Olaru, G., Allemand, M., & Hill, P. L. (2023). Purposeful and purposeless aging: Structural issues for sense of purpose and their implications for predicting life outcomes. Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev000163

Hill, P. L., Pfund, G. N., & Allemand, M. (2023). The PATHS to purpose: A new framework toward understanding purpose development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 32(2), 105-110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721422112801

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#36 Personality change interventions with Mathias Allemand, Gabriel Olaru, and Christoph Flückiger

There is a lot of interest in the idea that people can voluntarily change their personality traits. René Mõttus talks to Mathias Allemand, Gabriel Olaru, and Christoph Flückiger about personality change interventions. Why people want to change their personality traits, how can they do it, and how long could the effects last? They also discuss ethical issues related to trait change, and whether most people have already been subjected to a personality change intervention – at school. 

Key References

Allemand, M., & Flückiger, C. (2022). Personality Change Through Digital-Coaching Interventions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 31(1), 41–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214211067782

Olaru, G., van Scheppingen, M. A., Stieger, M., Kowatsch, T., Flückiger, C., & Allemand, M. (2023). The effects of a personality intervention on satisfaction in 10 domains of life: Evidence for increases and correlated change with personality traits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 125(4), 902–924. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000474

Stieger, M., Flückiger, C., Rüegger, D., Kowatsch, T., Roberts, B. W., & Allemand, M. (2021). Changing personality traits with the help of a digital personality change intervention. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(8), e2017548118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2017548118

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#35 Personality and aging with Flavia Chereches, Denis Gerstorf, Eileen Graham, and Dan Mroczek

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor talks with four researchers in the field of personality and aging about common trends in personality change into old age, antecedents and consequences thereof and, most importantly, individual differences.

Key References

Brandt, N. D., Drewelies, J., Willis, S. L., Schaie, K. W., Ram, N., Gerstorf, D., & Wagner, J. (2022). Acting like a baby boomer? Birth-cohort differences in adults’ personality trajectories during the last half a century. Psychological Science, 33(3), 382-396. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797621103797

Graham, E. K., Rutsohn, J. P., Turiano, N. A., Bendayan, R., Batterham, P. J., Gerstorf, D., … & Mroczek, D. K. (2017). Personality predicts mortality risk: An integrative data analysis of 15 international longitudinal studies. Journal of Research in Personality, 70, 174-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2017.07.005

Graham, E. K., Weston, S. J., Gerstorf, D., Yoneda, T. B., Booth, T., Beam, C. R., … & Mroczek, D. K. (2020). Trajectories of big five personality traits: A coordinated analysis of 16 longitudinal samples. European Journal of Personality, 34(3), 301-321. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2259

Graham, E. K., James, B. D., Jackson, K. L., Willroth, E. C., Boyle, P., Wilson, R., … & Mroczek, D. K. (2021). Associations between personality traits and cognitive resilience in older adults. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(1), 6-19. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa135

Mroczek, D. K., & Spiro, A. (2007). Personality change influences mortality in older men. Psychological Science, 18(5), 371-376. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01907.x

Mueller, S., Wagner, J., Smith, J., Voelkle, M. C., & Gerstorf, D. (2018). The interplay of personality and functional health in old and very old age: Dynamic within-person interrelations across up to 13 years. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 115(6), 1127–1147. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000173

Olaru, G., Laukka, E. J., Dekhtyar, S., Sarwary, A., & Brehmer, Y. (2023). Association between personality traits, leisure activities, and cognitive levels and decline across 12 years in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 38(4), 277–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000743

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#34 Goals and motivations with Marie Hennecke and Jana Nikitin

In this episode, Marie Hennecke and Jana Nikitin talk about their research on goals and motivations. Specifically, they discuss why goals and motivations are important, how they change across the lifespan, and how we can achieve our goals—and even change our personality traits.

Key References

Hennecke, M., Brandstätter, V., & Oettingen, G. (2021). The self-regulation of healthy aging: Goal-related processes in three domains.Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences, 76 (Supplement), S125-S134. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbab011

Hennecke, M., Schumann, P., & Specht, J. (2020). Age-related differences in actual-ideal personality trait level discrepancies.Psychology and Aging, 35, 1000-1015. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000573

Nikitin, J., & Freund, A. M. (2019). Individual differences in habitual social goals and daily well–being: The role of age and relationship closeness. European Journal of Personality, 33(3), 337–358. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2190

Rahn, G., Martiny, S. E., & Nikitin, J. (2021). Feeling out of place: Internalized age stereotypes are associated with older employees’ sense of belonging and social motivation. Work, Aging and Retirement, 7(1), 61-77. https://doi.org/10.1093/workar/waaa005

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#33 Paper Spotlight with Emily Willroth

What is a good life? And can people have it? A recent European Journal of Personality paper authored by Emily Willroth and colleagues explored this question among U.S. Americans and Japanese, and also asked whether most people have the lives that they want.

Key Reference

Willroth, E. C., Pfund, G. N., Mroczek, D. K., & Hill, P. L. (2023). Perceptions of a good life: Associations with culture, age, wellbeing, and health. European Journal of Personality, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070231186344

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#32 Narrative identity with Jonathan Adler, Kate McLean, and Monisha Pasupathi

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor talks with three experts on what narrative identity is, what important contributions it makes to the field of personality psychology, and what is needed to further advance research on narrative identity.

Key References

Adler, J. M., Lodi-Smith, J., Philippe, F. L., & Houle, I. (2016). The Incremental Validity of Narrative Identity in Predicting Well-Being: A Review of the Field and Recommendations for the Future. Personality and social psychology review, 20(2), 142–175.https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868315585068

McLean, K. C., Syed, M., Pasupathi, M., Adler, J. M., Dunlop, W.L., Drustrup, D., Fivush, R., Graci, M. E., Lilgendahl, J. L., Lodi-Smith, J., McAdams, D. P., & McCoy, T. (2019). The Empirical Structure of Narrative Identity: The Initial Big Three. Journal of Personality: PPID, 119(4), 920-944.

McLean, K. C. & Syed, M. (2015). Personal, Master, and Alternative Narratives: An Integrative Framework for Understanding Identity Development in Context. Human Development, 58, 318 – 349.

Pasupathi, M., & Hoyt, T. (2009). The development of narrative identity in late adolescence and emergent adulthood: the continued importance of listeners. Developmental Psychology, 45(2), 558-574.

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#31 Attachment, optimism, and honesty with Bill Chopik

Personality research occupies itself with not only the Big Five traits but a myriad of other important constructs. Bill Chopik talks in this episode about his research on attachment, optimism, and honesty, and also close relationships. He shares his experience with cross-cultural and lifespan studies, and important lessons from grad school.

Key References

Chopik, W. J., Edelstein, R. S., & Fraley, R. C. (2013). From the cradle to the grave: Age differences in attachment from early adulthood to old age. Journal of Personality, 81, 171-183

Chopik, W. J., & Weaver, J. R. (2019). Old dog, new tricks: Age differences in dog personality traits, association with human personality traits, and links to important outcomes. Journal of Research in Personality, 79, 94-108.

Chopik, W. J., Oh, J., Kim, E. S., Schwaba, T., Krämer, M. D., Richter, D., & Smith, J. (2020). Changes in optimism and pessimism in response to life events: Evidence from three large panel studies. Journal of Research in Personality, 88, 103985.

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#30 Personality states with Gabriella Harari, Kai Horstmann, and Whitney Ringwald

Many researchers like to think of personalities as patterns of dynamic states. Thanks to technological advances, they can now measure the states and build statistical models from these measurements. Other researchers may have remained more sceptical: after all, isn’t personality something relatively stable, by definition? Can state models really help us better understand how people differ from one another in their personality traits? Trying to make sense of this topic, René Mõttus speaks to three experts on the topic: Gabriela Harari, Kai Horstmann and Whitney Ringwald. They discuss what personality states are and how these relate to personality traits, the primary focus of personality research.

Key References

Abrahams, L., Rauthmann, J. F., & Fruyt, F. D. (2021). Person-situation dynamics in educational contexts: A self- and other-rated experience sampling study of teachers’ states, traits, and situations. European Journal of Personality, 35(4), 598–622. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211005621

Fleeson, W. (2001). Toward a structure- and process-integrated view of personality: Traits as density distributions of states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(6), 1011–1027. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.80.6.1011

Harari, G. M., Vaid, S. S., Müller, S. R., Stachl, C., Marrero, Z., Schoedel, R., Bühner, M., & Gosling, S. D. (2020). Personality sensing for theory development and assessment in the digital age. European Journal of Personality, 34(5), 649-669. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2273

Horstmann, K. T., & Ziegler, M. (2020). Assessing Personality States: What to Consider when Constructing Personality State Measures. European Journal of Personality, 34(6), 1037–1059. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2266

Ringwald, W. R., Manuck, S. B., Marsland, A. L., & Wright, A. G. C. (2022). Psychometric Evaluation of a Big Five Personality State Scale for Intensive Longitudinal Studies. Assessment, 29(6), 1301–1319. https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911211008254

Rüegger, D., Stieger, M., Nißen, M., Allemand, M., Fleisch, E., & Kowatsch, T. (2020). How are personality states associated with smartphone data?. European Journal of Personality, 34(5), 687-713. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2309

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#29 Causal inference with Michael Grosz

In this episode, Michael Grosz talks about what causal inference is, how difficult it is to test in personality psychology, and why he doesn’t give up on our field.

Key References

Explicit Causal Inference in Personality Research (ECIP) Network: https://www.ecip.cc/

Eronen, M. I. (2020). Causal discovery and the problem of psychological interventions. New Ideas in Psychology, 59, 100785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.newideapsych.2020.100785

Margolis, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2020). Experimental manipulation of extraverted and introverted behavior and its effects on well-being. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(4), 719–731. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000668

Morgan, S. L., & Winship, C. (2015). Counterfactuals and causal inference: Methods and principles for social research. Cambridge University Press.

Rohrer, J. M. (2018). Thinking clearly about correlations and causation: Graphical causal models for observational data. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 1, 27–42.  https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245917745629

VanderWeele, T. J. (2019). Principles of confounder selection. European Journal of Epidemiology, 34, 211-219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-019-00494-6

Grosz, M., Ayaita, A., Arslan, R. C., Buecker, S., Ebert, T., Müller, S., … Rohrer, J. M. (2023). Natural Experiments: Missed Opportunities for Causal Inference in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/dah3q

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#28 Big Five vs. HEXACO with Colin DeYoung, Isabel Thielmann, Luke Smillie, and Reinout de Vries

In this episode moderated by Lisanne de Moor, Colin DeYoung, Isabel Thielmann, Luke Smillie, and Reinout de Vries discuss personality traits and trait models, and debate the evidence for and against two of the most dominant trait models: the Big Five and the HEXACO model.

Key References

Bainbridge, T. F., Ludeke, S. G., & Smillie, L. D. (2022). Evaluating the Big Five as an organizing framework for commonly used psychological trait scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 122(4), 749–777. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000395

Ashton, M. C., & Lee, K. (2020). Objections to the HEXACO Model of Personality Structure—and why those Objections Fail. European Journal of Personality, 34(4), 492–510. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2242

DeYoung, C. G. (2020). The Big Five model remains a good choice for personality theory and research. European Journal of Personality, 34, 511–590.

https://www.melbppl.com (website Luke Smillie)

Thielmann, I., Moshagen, M., Hilbig, B.E., & Zettler, I. (2022). On the comparability of basic personality models: Meta-analytic correspondence, scope, and orthogonality of the Big Five and HEXACO dimensions. European Journal of Personality, 36(6), 870-900.https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211026793

Thielmann, I., & Zettler, I. (2020). On the distinction between Honesty-Humility and Agreeableness in the HEXACO model. European Journal of Personality, 34(4), 552-553. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2284

Zettler, I., Thielmann, I., Hilbig, B. E., & Moshagen, M. (2020). The nomological net of the HEXACO model of personality: A large-scale meta-analytic investigation. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(3), 723-760. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895036

De Vries, R. E., Tybur, J. M., Pollet, T. V., & Van Vugt, M. (2016). Evolution, situational affordances, and the HEXACO model of personality. Evolution & Human Behavior, 37, 407-421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2016.04.001

De Vries, R. E., Wawoe, K. W., & Holtrop, D. J. (2016). What is Engagement? Proactivity as the missing link in the HEXACO model of personality. Journal of Personality, 84(2), 178-193. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12150

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#27 Geography and personality with Fritz Götz, Elisa Militaru, and Markus Jokela

What does geography have to do with personality? In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann speaks with Fritz Götz, Elisa Militaru, and Markus Jokela about studying personality from a geographical psychology approach—what that research field is, how things are measured (and how tricky it is to measure), past interesting findings and future directions.

Key References

Ebert, T., Götz, F. M., Gladstone, J. J., Müller, S. R., & Matz, S. C. (2021). Spending reflects not only who we are but also who we are around: The joint effects of individual and geographic personality on consumption. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 121(2), 378–393. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000344

Jokela, M. (2020). Selective residential mobility and social influence in the emergence of neighborhood personality differences: Longitudinal data from Australia. Journal of Research in Personality, 86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2020.103953

Militaru, I. E., Serapio-García, G., Ebert, T., Kong, W., Gosling, S.D., Potter, J., Rentfrow, P.J., & Götz., F.M. (2022), The lay of the land: Associations between environmental features and personality. Under Review. 

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#26 Spirituality and Religiosity with Julie Exline

Julie Exline is an expert in studying spirituality and religiosity. For this episode, Julie talked with Rebekka Weidmann about how she came to study spirituality and religiosity, the nature of spiritual struggles, and supernatural operating rules—how people envision or experience God or other supernatural powers.

Key References

Bockrath, M. F., Pargament, K. I., Wong, S., Harriott, V. A., Pomerleau, J. M., Homolka, S. J., Chaudhary, Z. B., & Exline, J. J. (2022). Religious and spiritual struggles and their links to psychological adjustment: A meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 14(3), 283–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000400

Exline, J. J., Pargament, K. I., Grubbs, J. B., & Yali, A. M. (2014). The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale: Development and initial validation. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 6(3), 208. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036465

Exline, J. J., Pargament, K. I., Wilt, J. A., Grubbs, J. G., & Yali, A. M. (2022). The RSS-14: Development and preliminary validation of a 14-item form of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000472 

Pargament, K. I., & Exline, J. J. (2022). Working with spiritual struggles in psychotherapy: From research to practice. New York: Guilford. 

Pargament, K. I., & Exline, J. J. (2021). The psychology of spiritual struggle. Report prepared for the John Templeton Foundation. https://www.templeton.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Spiritual-Struggle-Whitepaper_FINAL-10.5.pdf

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#25 Behaviour Genetics with Michel Nivard

Michel Nivard and René Mõttus discuss classical and modern behaviour genetics, and why much of personality genetics is no longer focused on finding personality genes (there are none) but using genes to learn about environment. Perhaps paradoxically, then, genetics is as likely to help with building psychological and sociological theories of personality as biological theories.

Key References

Lo, M. T., Hinds, D. A., Tung, J. Y., Franz, C., Fan, C. C., Wang, Y., … & Chen, C. H. (2017). Genome-wide analyses for personality traits identify six genomic loci and show correlations with psychiatric disorders. Nature Genetics, 49(1), 152-156. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3736

Grotzinger, A. D., Mallard, T. T., Akingbuwa, W. A., Ip, H. F., Adams, M. J., Lewis, C. M., … & Nivard, M. G. (2022). Genetic architecture of 11 major psychiatric disorders at biobehavioral, functional genomic and molecular genetic levels of analysis. Nature Genetics, 54(5), 548-559. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01057-4

Gage SH, Davey Smith G, Ware JJ, Flint J, Munafò MR (2016) G = E: What GWAS Can Tell Us about the Environment. PLoS Genetics 12(2): e1005765. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005765

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#24 Personality, Doomsday Prepping, Science Denial, and Being Wrong with Adam Fetterman

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor chats with Adam Fetterman about his work on the role of personality and beliefs in shaping people’s behavior in contemporary phenomena such as doomsday prepping, science denial, and people’s willingness to admit to being wrong.

Key References

Evans, N. D., & Fetterman, A. K.(2022). It doesn’t apply to me, so it isn’t real: People are likely to deny science if it contradicts their personality. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13, 1032-1046. PDF

Fetterman, A. K., Muscanell, N. L., Wu, D., & Sassenberg, K. (2022). When you are wrong on Facebook, just admit it: Wrongness admission leads to better interpersonal impressions on social media. Social Psychology, 53, 34-45. PDF

Fetterman, A. K., Rutjens, B. J., Wilkowski, B. M., & Landkammer, F. (2019). On post-apocalyptic and doomsday prepping beliefs: A new measure, its correlates, and the motivation to prep. European Journal of Personality, 33, 506-525. PDF

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#23 Personality: universalism and cultural context with Moin Syed

Personality psychology is an exciting field of research. However, as we learn in Moin Syed’s presentation, this excitement has been dampened by a hyper focus on methodological and definitional issues based on the history of our field. However, personality can be more. Moin Syed talks in his presentation about how our field can earn back its excitement. 

Key References

Presentation Notes: https://osf.io/jnz9h/

Arshad, M., & Chung, J. M. (2022). Practical recommendations for considering culture, race, and ethnicity in personality psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 16(2), e12656. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12656

Syed, M. (2021). Where are race, ethnicity, and culture in personality research? PsyArXiv. https://psyarxiv.com/m57ph/

Thalmayer, A. G., Saucier, G., & Rotzinger, J. S. (2022). Absolutism, relativism, and universalism in personality traits across cultures: The case of the Big Five.Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 53(7–8), 935–956. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221221111813

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#22 Interviews at the 20th European Conference on Personality in Madrid

For this episode, we talked to ten researchers at the 20th European Conference on Personality (#ECP20) in Madrid, including Anna Hakobjanyan, Jérome Rossier, Matej Bjurković, Sonja Lyubomirsky, Laura Buchinger, Markus Jokela, Barbara De Clercq, Verònica Benet-Martínez, Arij Yehya, and Kendall Mather.

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#21 Personality and health with Nick Turiano, Damaris Aschwanden, and Yannick Stephan

This episode’s guests were Nick Turiano, Damaris Aschwanden, and Yannick Stephan, three experts in personality and health psychology, who talked with Rebekka Weidmann about the importance of considering personality when predicting important health outcomes across the life span.

Key References

Turiano, N. A., Chapman, B. P., Gruenewald, T. L., & Mroczek, D. K. (2015). Personality and the leading behavioral contributors of mortality. Health Psychology, 34, 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000038

Aschwanden, D., Strickhouser, J. E., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y., Sutin, A. R., & Terracciano, A. (2021). Is personality associated with dementia risk? A meta-analytic investigation. Ageing Research Reviews, 67, 101269. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2021.101269

Stephan, Y., Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., Canada, B., & Terracciano, A. (2020). Personality and HbA1c: Findings from six samples. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 120, 104782. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104782

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#20 Post-traumatic growth with Laura Blackie and Eranda Jayawickreme

Many people believe that traumatic experiences are often followed by psychological growth. What does not kill us, makes us stronger, right?  Laura Blackie and Eranda Jayawickreme are among the leading researchers on this topic, and they just guest-edited a special issue on post-traumatic personality growth in the European Journal of Personality. They talked with René Mõttus what they have learned about how trauma can change us—or if it even changes us, after all.

Key References

Blackie, L. E., & Jayawickreme, E. (2022). What does a personality science approach to post-traumatic growth reveal?. European Journal of Personality, 08902070221104628. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070221104628

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#19 Paper Spotlight with Emily Willroth and Brett Ford

René Mõttus talks with Emily Willroth and Brett Ford about their recently published paper in the European Journal of Personality entitled: „Emotional responses to a global stressor: Average patterns and individual differences“

Key Reference

Willroth, E. C., Smith, A. M., Graham, E. K., Mroczek, D. K., Shallcross, A. J., & Ford, B. Q. (2022). Emotional responses to a global stressor: Average patterns and individual differences. European Journal of Personality, 08902070221094448. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070221094448

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#18 Personality and psychopathology with Bob Krueger, Odilia Laceulle, and Johannes Zimmerman

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor talked with three experts about a dimensional approach to conceptualizing and measuring psychopathology, and the HiTOP model as an example of one of the advancements of this approach.

Key References

Krueger, R. F., Kotov, R., Watson, D., Forbes, M. K., Eaton, N. R., Ruggero, C. J., Simms, L. J., Widiger, T. A., Achenbach, T. M., Bach, B., Bagby, R. M., Bornovalova, M. A., Carpenter, W. T., Chmielewski, M., Cicero, D. C., Clark, L. A., Conway, C., DeClercq, B., DeYoung, C. G., . . . Zimmermann, J. (2018). Progress in achieving quantitative classification of psychopathology. World Psychiatry, 17, 282–293. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20566

Leising, D., & Zimmermann, J. (2011). An integrative conceptual framework for assessing personality and personality pathology. Review of General Psychology, 15, 317–330. doi: 10.1037/a0025070 

van Dijk, I., Krueger, R. F., & Laceulle, O. M. (2021). DSM–5 alternative personality disorder model traits as extreme variants of five-factor model traits in adolescents. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 12, 59–69. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000409

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#17 Paper Spotlight with Paul Eastwick

Rebekka Weidmann talks with Paul Eastwick about his recently accepted paper in the European Journal of Personality entitled: „Predicting Romantic Interest during Early Relationship Development: A Preregistered Investigation using Machine Learning“

Key Reference

Eastwick, P. W., Joel, S., Molden, D. C., Finkel, E., & Carswell, K. L. (2021, March 8). Predicting Romantic Interest during Early Relationship Development: A Preregistered Investigation using Machine Learning. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/sh7ja

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#16 Self-Esteem with Ulrich Orth, Ketaki Diwan, and Lorenzo Filosa

Lisanne de Moor speaks with three self-esteem researchers about what self-esteem is, why it has attracted so much scientific attention, some interesting new discoveries, and some outstanding research questions.

Key References

Orth, U., & Robins, R. W. (2019). Development of self-esteem across the lifespan. In D. P. McAdams, R. L. Shiner, & J. L. Tackett (Eds.), Handbook of personality development (pp. 328-344). Guilford.

Reitz, A. K., Shrout, P. E., Denissen, J. J., Dufner, M., & Bolger, N. (2020). Self‐esteem change during the transition from university to work. Journal of Personality, 88(4), 689-702. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12519

Filosa, L., Alessandri, G., Robins, R. W., Pastorelli, C., (2022). Self-esteem Development during the Transition to Work: A 14-year Longitudinal Study from Adolescence to Young Adulthood. Journal of Personality. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12713

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#15 Intelligence with Ian Deary

René Mõttus speaks with Ian Deary, who has published many hundreds of articles on intelligence and personality traits, alongside several books. They discuss the value of robust empirical findings over grand theories and key findings about human intelligence. They also compare personality and intelligence research and discuss their future. And finally, this is the first episode of the podcast where a guest also sings.

Key References

Deary, I. (2020). Intelligence: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Deary, I.J., Cox, S.R. & Hill, W.D. (2021). Genetic variation, brain, and intelligence differences. Molecular Psychiatry https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01027-y

Deary, I.J., Hill, W.D. & Gale, C.R. (2021). Intelligence, health and death. Nature Human Behaviour 5, 416–430. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01078-9

Deary, I. J., & Sternberg, R. J. (2021). Ian Deary and Robert Sternberg answer five self-inflicted questions about human intelligence. Intelligence, 86, 101539. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2021.101539

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#14 Psychopathology, Authenticity, Sustainability, and Veganism with Chris Hopwood

In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann talked with Chris Hopwood about his research on personality and psychopathology, but also his work on authenticity and realness, sustainable behavior, and veganism.

Key References

Hopwood, C.J., Bleidorn, W., Schwaba, T., & Chen, S. (2020). Health, environmental, and animal rights motivations for vegetarian eating. PLOS One 15(4): e0230609. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230609

Hopwood, C. J., Schwaba, T., & Bleidorn, W. (2021). Personality changes associated with increasing environmental concerns. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 77, 101684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101684

Hopwood, C. J., Wright, A. G., & Bleidorn, W. (2022). Person–environment transactions differentiate personality and psychopathology. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1(1), 55-63. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-021-00004-0

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#13 Personality science and helping people to change, with Patrick Hill

Patrick Hill has studied many topics, including purpose in life, gratitude, health, and personality change. In this episode, Patrick spoke with René Mõttus about the influence of personality on life outcomes, interventions to change personality traits, and several other topics.

Key Reference

Hill, P. L., Sin, N. L., Turiano, N. A., Burrow, A. L., & Almeida, D. M. (2018). Sense of purpose buffers against daily reactivity. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 52, 724-729. https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kax039

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#12 Diversity and inclusiveness with Alexandria West, Hrag Vosgerichian, and Khatuna Martskvishvili

At the 2021 EAPP Day, we conducted a live panel discussion with Alexandria West, Hrag Vosgerichian, and Khatuna Martskvishvili and discussed how we can bring more diversity and inclusiveness into the field of personality research. Thank you all for coming!

Key References

Daouk-Öyry, L., Zeinoun, P., Choueiri, L., & van de Vijver, F. J. (2016). Integrating global and local perspectives in psycholexical studies: A GloCal approach. Journal of Research in Personality, 62, 19-28. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2016.02.008

Zeinoun, P., Daouk-Öyry, L., Choueiri, L., & Van de Vijver, F. J. (2017). A mixed-methods study of personality conceptions in the Levant: Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. Journal of personality and social psychology, 113, 453-465. doi: 10.1037/pspp0000148

https://www.theloveconsortium.org/

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#11 Adolescent personality with Jenny Wagner, Eva Bleckmann, Larissa Wieczorek, and Naemi Brandt

Lisanne de Moor spoke with Jenny Wagner, Eva Bleckmann, Larissa Wieczorek, and Naemi Brandt about their research on adolescent personality. They discussed personality development, and school and relationships as influencing factors. In addition, they discussed major recent accomplishments in the fields as well as the next steps forward.

Key References

Israel, A., Brandt, N. D., Spengler, M., Göllner, R., Lüdtke, O., Trautwein, U., & Wagner, J. (in press). The Longitudinal Interplay of Personality and School Experiences in Adolescence. European Journal of Personality.

Wagner, J., Lüdtke, O., Robitzsch, A., Göllner, R., & Trautwein, U. (2018). Self-esteem development in the school context: The roles of intrapersonal and interpersonal social predictors. Journal of Personality, 86(3), 481–497. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12330

Wieczorek, L. L., Mueller, S., Lüdtke, O., & Wagner, J. (2021). What makes for a pleasant social experience in adolescence? The role of perceived social interaction behavior in associations between personality traits and momentary social satisfaction. European Journal of Personality. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211017745

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#10 The past, present, and controversies of personality trait psychology with Jeff McCrae

René Mõttus spoke with one of the most influential personality psychologists in recent decades, Robert „Jeff“ McCrae. They discussed the history and achievements of personality trait psychology and some of the key questions still awaiting an answer. They also spoke about an early „conspiracy“ among the Big Five enthusiasts to promote the trait model and the most controversial aspect of the Five-Factor Theory – lack of direct influences of life experiences on personality traits.

Key References

McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1987). Validation of the five-factor model of personality across instruments and observers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(1), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.52.1.81

McCrae, R. R. (1994). Openness to Experience: Expanding the boundaries of Factor V. European Journal of Personality, 8, 251-272. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2410080404

McCrae, R. R., Terracciano, A., & 78 Members of the Personality Profiles of Cultures Project. (2005). Universal Features of Personality Traits From the Observer’s Perspective: Data From 50 Cultures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 88(3), 547–561. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.88.3.547

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#9 Narcissism with Mitja Back, Carolyn Morf, and Joshua Miller

In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann talked with Mitja Back, Carolyn Morf, and Joshua Miller about narcissism—what it is, how it manifests in people’s lives, whether it changes, and common misconceptions about narcissism.

Key References

Back, M. D. (2018). The Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept. In A. D. Hermann, A. Brunell, & J. Foster (Eds.), The Handbook of trait narcissism: Key advances, research methods, and controversies (pp. 57-67). New York, NY: Springer.

Morf, C. C., Schürch, E., Küfner, A., Siegrist, P., Vater, A., Back, M., … & Schröder-Abé, M. (2017). Expanding the nomological net of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory: German validation and extension in a clinical inpatient sample. Assessment, 24(4), 419-443. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191115627010

Miller, J. D., Lynam, D. R., Hyatt, C. S., & Campbell, W. K. (2017). Controversies in narcissism. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 13, 291–315. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045244

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#8 Morality and moral development with Jessie Sun

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor talked with Jessie Sun about morality and moral development, and how to conceptualize and measure it in research. In addition, they discussed some of Jessie’s past, ongoing, and upcoming research, and the major challenges she sees in moving forward.

Key References

Sun, J., & Goodwin, G. P. (2020). Do people want to be more moral?. Psychological science, 31(3), 243-257. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797619893078

Meindl, P., & Graham, J. (2014). Know thy participant: The trouble with nomothetic assumptions in moral psychology. Advances in experimental moral psychology, 233-252.https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.700.6349&rep=rep1&type=pdf

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#7 Personality development with Ted Schwaba, Eva Asselmann, and Chris Soto

In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann talked with Ted Schwaba, Eva Asselmann, and Chris Soto about their research on personality development across the lifespan, the importance of personality for life outcomes, and the emerging study of social, emotional, and behavioral skills.

Key References

Schwaba, T., Bleidorn, W., Hopwood, C. J., Gebauer, J. E., Rentfrow, P. J., Potter, J., & Gosling, S. D. (2021). The impact of childhood lead exposure on adult personality: Evidence from the United States, Europe, and a large-scale natural experiment. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(29).  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2020104118 Openly accessible pre-print: https://psyarxiv.com/nxdca

Asselmann, E., & Specht, J. (2021). Personality maturation and personality relaxation: Differences of the Big Five personality traits in the years around the beginning and ending of working life. Journal of Personality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12640

Soto, C. J., Napolitano, C. M., & Roberts, B. W. (2021). Taking skills seriously: Toward an integrative model and agenda for social, emotional, and behavioral skills. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(1), 26-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420978613

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#6 A chat with Joanne Chung

In this episode, Lisanne de Moor talks with Joanne Chung about how she became interested in personality psychology, her past, present, and future work, and creating spaces and recognizing different voices in our work as personality scientists.

Key References

ARP Conference in July: https://www.personality-arp.org/conference/ 

Arshad, M., & Chung, J. M. (2021, April 29). Practical Recommendations for Considering Culture, Race, and Ethnicity in Personality Psychology. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/bjgh4

Chung, J. M., Meijer, l., Zonneveld, R., Sawaf, Z. A., Alajak, K., Moopen, N., … Laceulle, O. (2021, February 16). Initial Insights From a Study of Emotions and Positive Personality Change in Syrian Origin Young Adults Who Have Recently Resettled in the Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/xvqrs

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#5 Subjective well-being with Susanne Bücker, Richard Lucas, and Samantha Heintzelman

In this episode, Rebekka Weidmann talked to Susanne Bücker, Richard Lucas, and Samantha Heintzelman about subjective well-being across the life span, factors that can change the well-being of people including the pandemic, and typical misconceptions that people might hold.

Key References

Buecker, S., Denissen, J. J. A., & Luhmann, M. (2020). A propensity-score matched study of changes in loneliness surrounding major life events. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000373

Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., Oishi, S., Hall, N., & Donnellan, M. B. (2018). Advances and open questions in the science of subjective well-being. Collabra: Psychology, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.115

Heintzelman, S. J., Kushlev, K., Lutes, L. D., Wirtz, D., Kanippayoor, J. M., Leitner, D., Oishi, S., & Diener, E. (2020). ENHANCE: Evidence for the efficacy of a comprehensive intervention program to promote subjective well-being. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 26(2), 360–383. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000254

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#4 Personality in the work context with Joanna Sosnowska

In this episode, Joanna Sosnowska and René Mõttus discuss dynamic models of personality and their usefulness for describing and understanding the psychology of workplace. The discussion is partly based on a recent paper Joanna and her colleagues published in the European Journal of Personality, as well as an upcoming special issue co-edited by Joanna (to be published in July in the European Journal of Personality).

Key Reference

Sosnowska, J., Kuppens, P., De Fruyt, F., & Hofmans, J. (2020). New directions in the conceptualization and assessment of personality—A dynamic systems approach. European Journal of Personality, 34(6), 988-998. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2233

Sosnowska, J., Hofmans, J., Rauthmann, J., & Wille, B. (2021). Personality is dynamic and it matters: The role of personality dynamics in applied contexts. European Journal of Personality, 35(4), 418-420. https://doi.org/10.1177/08902070211022491

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#3 Personality structure and change with Emorie Beck

In this episode, we hear a presentation by Emorie Beck on her research on nomothetic and idiographic approaches to personality structure and change, couched in a historical perspective.

Presentation Script

Key Reference

Beck, E. D., & Jackson, J. J. (2020). Idiographic traits: A return to Allportian approaches to personality. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29(3), 301-308. https://psyarxiv.com/r8xfh.

Discussed Literature

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#2 Personalized approaches to personality with Aidan Wright

For this episode, Lisanne de Moor talked to Aidan Wright about how personality can be measured from a more personalized angle, what such an approach can contribute to personality science, and what are some of the challenges that he sees for moving this research forward.

Key Reference

Wright, A.G.C., Gates, K.M., Arizmendi, C., Lane, S.T., Woods, W.C., & Edershile, E.A. (2019). Focusing personality assessment on the person: Modeling general, shared, and person specific processes in personality and psychopathology. Psychological Assessment, 32, 502-515. doi: 10.1037/pas0000617

Collins, L. M. (2006). Analysis of longitudinal data: the integration of theoretical model, temporal design, and statistical model. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 505-528. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190146

Leary, T. (1957). The interpersonal diagnosis of personality: a functional theory and methodology for personality evaluation. Ronald Press

Wright, A.G.C. & Woods, W.C. (2020). Personalized models of psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 16, 49-74. doi: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-102419-125032. Open Access Link: https://psyarxiv.com/6hqzj/   

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#1 Introducing personality psychology with Julia Rohrer and Jaap Denissen

Welcome to our podcast! For this episode, René Mõttus talked to Julia Rohrer and Jaap Denissen about what personality is, how personality psychology is unique as a field, and what its most significant achievements have been so far—but also what is still puzzling and what can be improved for the future.

Key References

Allport, G. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: Henry Holt. Online Access

Denissen, J. J., Luhmann, M., Chung, J. M., & Bleidorn, W. (2019). Transactions between life events and personality traits across the adult lifespan. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 116(4), 612-633. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000196

Rohrer, J. M. (2018). Thinking clearly about correlations and causation: Graphical causal models for observational data. Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science, 1(1), 27-42. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515245917745629