<p>The papers you cited points to potential motives and reasons for change in personality; and also looks at potentials within the genes vs environment debate within the whole field of psychology.</p>
<p>Personality refers to the <strong>enduring</strong> characteristics and behaviour (<a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/personality" rel="nofollow noreferrer">APA, n.d.</a>). Mental health issues may spark differing behaviours such as impulsiveness, aggressiveness, timidity etc. but these behaviour changes typically change back to the regular behaviour patterns determined by the person's actual personality.</p>
<p>Findings from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.11.1404" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shea, et al. (1996)</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>suggest that self-reported personality traits do not change after a typical episode of major depression. Future studies are needed to determine whether such change occurs following more severe, chronic, or recurrent episodes of depression.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08039480600600300" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Christensen &amp; Kessing (2006)</a> tried to investigate whether personality traits predict onset of the first depressive or manic episode (the vulnerability hypothesis) and whether personality might be altered by the mood disorder (the scar hypothesis), and they suggested that, again, further investigation was needed.</p>
<p>In 2009 it was found that in medium-term follow-up, depressive episodes are unlikely to result in a personality scar persisting after recovery from an episode (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20385" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Jylhä, et al. 2009</a>).</p>
<h2>References</h2>
<p>APA. (n.d.) <em>Personality</em> <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/personality" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.apa.org/topics/personality</a></p>
<p>Christensen, M. V., &amp; Kessing, L. V. (2006). Do personality traits predict first onset in depressive and bipolar disorder?. <em>Nordic journal of psychiatry, 60</em>(2), 79–88. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08039480600600300" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1080/08039480600600300</a></p>
<p>Jylhä, P., Melartin, T., Rytsälä, H., &amp; Isometsä, E. (2009). Neuroticism, introversion, and major depressive disorder--traits, states, or scars?. <em>Depression and anxiety, 26</em>(4), 325–334. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20385" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20385</a></p>
<p>Shea, M. T., Leon, A. C., Mueller, T. I., Solomon, D. A., Warshaw, M. G., &amp; Keller, M. B. (1996). Does major depression result in lasting personality change?. <em>The American journal of psychiatry, 153</em>(11), 1404–1410. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.11.1404" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.11.1404</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-13T12:37:06.503Z
Thank you very much for your answer. So the findings point toward: an episode of mental illness seems not to be followed by a personality change resulting from this mental illness episode. I think this is an important aspect of my question. Another aspect (which I had more in mind) is: mental illness can last for months, every for years. So in this kind of time-frame, how does personality psychologist take these episodes into account when studying the unfolding of personality change?
Starckman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-13T12:41:16.317Z
I edited my question accordingly
Starckman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-19T05:53:09.707Z
This study found that "Depressivesymptoms, in turn, are associated with changes in personality that may be temporary or persistent." https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/da.22376?casa_token=57ragof62dEAAAAA:ZjpazQqlVwrYYPGuUBNvjKe38F1Ij9tiNm3TDbreSxWIHeMtl4fu_wHhavVMIYM0xXcejnQxmgorAtx7
Starckman
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-13T07:49:46.877Z
2023-04-13T07:49:46.877Z
Chris Rogers
<p><strong>Issue:</strong> Personality psychology investigates personality: its components, how it relates to life outcomes (job performance, income, longetivity, etc.), and also how personality evolves during life (the life-span, or some periods such as adolescence, or adulthood, etc.).</p>
<p>Personality psychology has found that some personality traits predict mental health outcomes: having high levels of neuroticism make people at higher risk of developing mental illness (anxiety disorder, depression, etc.) (Lahey, 2009).</p>
<p>Clinical psychology, on the other hand, has found that mental disorders are associated with behavioral changes. Depression can make people withdrawn socially, make them irritable, or abuse substances. Therefore, mental illness episodes can alter people's personality.</p>
<p><strong>Question:</strong> For the study of personality evolution/development, how <em>long-term</em> (for months or for years, like 5 years of 10 years*) mental illness episodes are taken into account in personality psychology? Are there some researchers in particular who took into account the appearance and disappearance of mental illness when studying personality change, and how is it done?</p>
<p>Below as examples, two actual research items on personality change by very influential personality psychology researchers, where there is no mention of mental illness:</p>
<p>Bleidorn, W., Hopwood, C. J., Back, M. D., Denissen, J. J., Hennecke, M., Hill, P. L., ... &amp; Zimmermann, J. (2021). Personality trait stability and change. <em>Personality Science</em>, 2, 1-20. <a href="https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.6009" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.6009</a> [<a href="https://ps.psychopen.eu/index.php/ps/article/download/6009/6009.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PDF</a>]</p>
<p>McAdams, D. P., &amp; Olson, B. D. (2010). Personality development: Continuity and change over the life course. <em>Annual review of psychology</em>, 61, 517-542. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100507" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100507</a> [<a href="https://www.imprs-life.mpg.de/25664/052_mcadams_olson.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PDF</a>]</p>
<p><strong>Further illustration:</strong> If a person became, say, more impulsive, withdrawn, immoderate (uncontrolled consumption of alcohol) as a result of suffering from a depression, this change in behavior will be simply attributed as <strong>a change of personality</strong>, rather than interpreted as <strong>the experience of a mental illness episode</strong>.</p>
<p>Conversingly, the personality change resulting for the curing of the depression (better sociability, better emotion regulation, lower immoderation, etc.) will again be simply attributed as a change of personality.</p>
<p>*Although I have more in mind disorders such as depression or anxiety here, I recall a recent news reporting where people had been misdiagnosed for autism spectrum for 30 to 50 years.</p>
<p><strong>References:</strong></p>
<p>Lahey, B. B. (2009). Public health significance of neuroticism. <em>American Psychologist</em>, 64(4), 241. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015309" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015309</a> [<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792076/pdf/nihms146936.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PDF</a>]</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-10T15:29:57.093Z
I think this question is too broad; *personality psychology* is not one thing, it's a massive field with entirely different views of what personality is/how to measure it/how to interpret those measurements. It would probably help to narrow it down, especially if you have examples where someone has interpreted mental illness in terms of a change in personality.
Bryan Krause
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-13T06:33:47.943Z
As @BryanKrause pointed out, you have provided an example of how you believe suffering depression can alter perceived personality, but can you provide examples of where personality psychologists have ignored mental health issues? And, more specifically, what have you seen from personality psychology that highlights your scenario? I.e. you have made a claim which needs some backing from a reputable source as [evidence of prior research](https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/q/993)
Chris Rogers
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-04-13T06:46:58.743Z
@ChrisRogers My question was edited accordingly
Starckman
<personality><mental-illness>
How mental illness episode are taken into account in personality psychology?
Starckman
# How mental illness episode are taken into account in personality psychology?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-04-09)

**Issue:** Personality psychology investigates personality: its components, how it relates to life outcomes (job performance, income, longetivity, etc.), and also how personality evolves during life (the life-span, or some periods such as adolescence, or adulthood, etc.).

Personality psychology has found that some personality traits predict mental health outcomes: having high levels of neuroticism make people at higher risk of developing mental illness (anxiety disorder, depression, etc.) (Lahey, 2009).

Clinical psychology, on the other hand, has found that mental disorders are associated with behavioral changes. Depression can make people withdrawn socially, make them irritable, or abuse substances. Therefore, mental illness episodes can alter people's personality.

**Question:** For the study of personality evolution/development, how *long-term* (for months or for years, like 5 years of 10 years\*) mental illness episodes are taken into account in personality psychology? Are there some researchers in particular who took into account the appearance and disappearance of mental illness when studying personality change, and how is it done?

Below as examples, two actual research items on personality change by very influential personality psychology researchers, where there is no mention of mental illness:

Bleidorn, W., Hopwood, C. J., Back, M. D., Denissen, J. J., Hennecke, M., Hill, P. L., ... & Zimmermann, J. (2021). Personality trait stability and change. *Personality Science*, 2, 1-20. <https://doi.org/10.5964/ps.6009> [[PDF](https://ps.psychopen.eu/index.php/ps/article/download/6009/6009.pdf)]

McAdams, D. P., & Olson, B. D. (2010). Personality development: Continuity and change over the life course. *Annual review of psychology*, 61, 517-542. <https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100507> [[PDF](https://www.imprs-life.mpg.de/25664/052_mcadams_olson.pdf)]

**Further illustration:** If a person became, say, more impulsive, withdrawn, immoderate (uncontrolled consumption of alcohol) as a result of suffering from a depression, this change in behavior will be simply attributed as **a change of personality**, rather than interpreted as **the experience of a mental illness episode**.

Conversingly, the personality change resulting for the curing of the depression (better sociability, better emotion regulation, lower immoderation, etc.) will again be simply attributed as a change of personality.

\*Although I have more in mind disorders such as depression or anxiety here, I recall a recent news reporting where people had been misdiagnosed for autism spectrum for 30 to 50 years.

**References:**

Lahey, B. B. (2009). Public health significance of neuroticism. *American Psychologist*, 64(4), 241. <https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015309> [[PDF](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2792076/pdf/nihms146936.pdf)]

**Tags:** personality, mental-illness

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think this question is too broad; *personality psychology* is not one thing, it's a massive field with entirely different views of what personality is/how to measure it/how to interpret those measurements. It would probably help to narrow it down, especially if you have examples where someone has interpreted mental illness in terms of a change in personality.  
> **username_2**: As @BryanKrause pointed out, you have provided an example of how you believe suffering depression can alter perceived personality, but can you provide examples of where personality psychologists have ignored mental health issues? And, more specifically, what have you seen from personality psychology that highlights your scenario? I.e. you have made a claim which needs some backing from a reputable source as [evidence of prior research](https://psychology.meta.stackexchange.com/q/993)  
> **username_0**: @ChrisRogers My question was edited accordingly  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-04-13. Score: 1

The papers you cited points to potential motives and reasons for change in personality; and also looks at potentials within the genes vs environment debate within the whole field of psychology.

Personality refers to the **enduring** characteristics and behaviour ([APA, n.d.](https://www.apa.org/topics/personality)). Mental health issues may spark differing behaviours such as impulsiveness, aggressiveness, timidity etc. but these behaviour changes typically change back to the regular behaviour patterns determined by the person's actual personality.

Findings from [Shea, et al. (1996)](https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.11.1404)

> suggest that self-reported personality traits do not change after a typical episode of major depression. Future studies are needed to determine whether such change occurs following more severe, chronic, or recurrent episodes of depression.

[Christensen & Kessing (2006)](https://doi.org/10.1080/08039480600600300) tried to investigate whether personality traits predict onset of the first depressive or manic episode (the vulnerability hypothesis) and whether personality might be altered by the mood disorder (the scar hypothesis), and they suggested that, again, further investigation was needed.

In 2009 it was found that in medium-term follow-up, depressive episodes are unlikely to result in a personality scar persisting after recovery from an episode ([Jylhä, et al. 2009](https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20385)).

## References

APA. (n.d.) *Personality* <https://www.apa.org/topics/personality>

Christensen, M. V., & Kessing, L. V. (2006). Do personality traits predict first onset in depressive and bipolar disorder?. *Nordic journal of psychiatry, 60*(2), 79–88. <https://doi.org/10.1080/08039480600600300>

Jylhä, P., Melartin, T., Rytsälä, H., & Isometsä, E. (2009). Neuroticism, introversion, and major depressive disorder--traits, states, or scars?. *Depression and anxiety, 26*(4), 325–334. <https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20385>

Shea, M. T., Leon, A. C., Mueller, T. I., Solomon, D. A., Warshaw, M. G., & Keller, M. B. (1996). Does major depression result in lasting personality change?. *The American journal of psychiatry, 153*(11), 1404–1410. <https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.153.11.1404>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you very much for your answer. So the findings point toward: an episode of mental illness seems not to be followed by a personality change resulting from this mental illness episode. I think this is an important aspect of my question. Another aspect (which I had more in mind) is: mental illness can last for months, every for years. So in this kind of time-frame, how does personality psychologist take these episodes into account when studying the unfolding of personality change?  
> **username_0**: I edited my question accordingly  
> **username_0**: This study found that "Depressivesymptoms, in turn, are associated with changes in personality that may be temporary or persistent." https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/da.22376?casa_token=57ragof62dEAAAAA:ZjpazQqlVwrYYPGuUBNvjKe38F1Ij9tiNm3TDbreSxWIHeMtl4fu_wHhavVMIYM0xXcejnQxmgorAtx7  

---

