Topic: Personality
Order Description
references must be peer reviewed only PLEASE

i was given this background info to work with:
Background: Your cousin recently had a baby boy, and you can’t help but wonder how he is
going to develop and what he will be like as he gets older. You know your aunt subscribes to the
old adage ‘like father, like son’, and you recently read a quote from the psychological
researcher’s Costa and McCrae who said that personality is ‘set in plaster’ after a certain age.
However, you feel a little skeptical of such black and white statements and think it might be a
little more interesting and complicated than they suggest. You’ve recently heard about
attachment theory and John Bowlby’s notion of Internal Working Models, and you start
wondering about what personality is and whether it can change, as well as what the impact of
our early life experiences might be.

THIS IS THE ESSAY QUESTION:
Can someone’s personality change throughout their life? In answering this question you must
provide support for your argument, and this must include empirical research studies and/or
reference to theoretical models of personality development. Also, be sure to consider how the
theoretical orientation of the researcher influences their assessment of whether or not
personality can change. In your answer, cite at least four research articles that support your
position, and challenge and critique at least one study’s findings which are contrary to the
position you have taken.