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The Enduring Impact of Maladaptive Personality Traits on Relationship Quality and Health in Later Life
Author(s) -
Gleason Marci E. J.,
Weinstein Yana,
Balsis Steve,
Oltmanns Thomas F.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/jopy.12068
Subject(s) - personality , psychology , big five personality traits , quality of life (healthcare) , life span , clinical psychology , personality disorders , developmental psychology , social psychology , gerontology , psychotherapist , medicine
Over the past 5 years, the S t. L ouis Personality and A ging N etwork ( SPAN ) has been collecting data on personality in later life with an emphasis on maladaptive personality, social integration, and health outcomes in a representative sample of 1,630 adults aged 55–64 living in the S t. L ouis area. This program has confirmed the importance of considering both the normal range of personality and in particular the role of maladaptive traits in order to understand individuals' relationships, life events, and health outcomes. In the current article, we discuss the explanatory benefits of considering maladaptive traits or traits associated with personality disorders when discussing the role of personality in social and health outcomes, with an emphasis on adults in middle to later life, and integrate these findings into the greater literature.