At the intersection of personality and adult development

People change and remain the same over time. This assertion is simple but not simplistic. Two decades of dogged research on the change-stability debate have finally led proponents on both sides to cede: "It's both." Meta-analyses of personality research (Roberts & DelVecchio, 2000) reveal that different statistical indices provide different answers to the change-stability question: rank-order correlation coefficients support stability, group and individual mean level indices support change. Yet how much change occurs, and when? For which traits and states? What is the relevance of change versus stability for various outcomes? Although trait structure and rank-order position may change little to not at all over time, are the manifestations of traits and their associations with daily activities and life events as stable? Who is more likely to change, and how does change at the fundamental level of personality affect other life domains, such as health, emotion, relationships, leisure, and happiness? This special issue of papers provides empirical evidence couched in theoretical perspectives that addresses most of the questions posed above. Of those not yet answered, promising paradigms for getting those answers are proffered for the new and continuing generations of behavioral scientists who study personality as a life-long process. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science (USA).