Intercultural similarities and differences in personality development

Personality continues to change throughout the life course due to both genetic and environmental factors, including the cultural context. Findings from a primarily North American context using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs suggest that people become more conscientious, agreeable, and emotionally stable throughout childhood and adulthood. One question addressed in this chapter is whether these results from North America can be extended to other cultures. We first define culture and the cultural framework that can be adopted to study personality, and then review cultural findings of personality development. Findings provide support for the notion of genetic and environmental influences on personality development at different ages. Finally, we provide suggestions for future research on personality development across cultural groups.