TY - JOUR
T1 - Does realizing strengths, insight, and behavioral practice through a psychological intervention promote personality change?
T2 - An intensive longitudinal study
AU - Allemand, M.
AU - Olaru, G.
AU - Stieger, M.
AU - Flückiger, C.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - The mechanisms of change underlying the effectiveness of personality change interventions are largely unclear. In this study, we used data from a three-month digital intervention with an intensive longitudinal design to test whether a greater realization of general change factors is partly responsible for personality change. Participants (N = 679, 53.0% female; age: M = 25.3 years, SD = 7.1) seeking to increase either Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, or Extraversion provided self-ratings on their weekly personality states and the three generic change factors of strengths, insights, and behavioral practice. We found a single-factor structure of change factors within and between individuals. Results showed within-person increases in Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness states as well as increases in change factors across the intervention. Changes in personality states were coupled with changes in generic change factors. Finally, the results provide initial support for the hypothesis that the realization of general change factors is partly responsible for the effects of the intervention. Within-person increases in the change factors were associated with subsequent increases in Extraversion and Emotional Stability states during the following week. The present findings highlight the need to better understand how and why people change in personality as a result of interventions.Recent studies have shown that it is possible to change personality traits through psychological interventions. However, the mechanisms of change are largely unclear. The present study therefore examined whether targeting supportive (strengths), learning (insight) and action (behavioral practice) factors through intervention contributes to personality change. Our results provide initial evidence that these general change mechanisms are partly responsible for personality changes.
AB - The mechanisms of change underlying the effectiveness of personality change interventions are largely unclear. In this study, we used data from a three-month digital intervention with an intensive longitudinal design to test whether a greater realization of general change factors is partly responsible for personality change. Participants (N = 679, 53.0% female; age: M = 25.3 years, SD = 7.1) seeking to increase either Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, or Extraversion provided self-ratings on their weekly personality states and the three generic change factors of strengths, insights, and behavioral practice. We found a single-factor structure of change factors within and between individuals. Results showed within-person increases in Emotional Stability, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness states as well as increases in change factors across the intervention. Changes in personality states were coupled with changes in generic change factors. Finally, the results provide initial support for the hypothesis that the realization of general change factors is partly responsible for the effects of the intervention. Within-person increases in the change factors were associated with subsequent increases in Extraversion and Emotional Stability states during the following week. The present findings highlight the need to better understand how and why people change in personality as a result of interventions.Recent studies have shown that it is possible to change personality traits through psychological interventions. However, the mechanisms of change are largely unclear. The present study therefore examined whether targeting supportive (strengths), learning (insight) and action (behavioral practice) factors through intervention contributes to personality change. Our results provide initial evidence that these general change mechanisms are partly responsible for personality changes.
KW - Digital personality change intervention
KW - Generic change factors
KW - Personality states
KW - Random intercept cross-lagged panel model
UR - https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=wosstart_imp_pure20230417&SrcAuth=WosAPI&KeyUT=WOS:001142754600001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=WOS_CPL
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85207177601&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/08902070231225803
DO - 10.1177/08902070231225803
M3 - Article
SN - 0890-2070
VL - 38
SP - 928
EP - 946
JO - European Journal of Personality
JF - European Journal of Personality
IS - 6
ER -