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Since 2008, the field of personality develop -
ment has experienced a renaissance. New 
longitudinal studies of personality develop -
ment have provided such a wealth of find -
ings that the topic now needs to be divided 
among several chapters (in this volume, see 
Bleidorn & Denissen, Chapter 14; DeFruyt, 
Chapter 13; Mroczek, Graham, Turiano, & 
Aro-Lambo, Chapter 15; Atherton & Scho -
field, Chapter 16; Shiner, Chapter 12). With 
these findings came new ways of conceptu -
alizing personality and personality develop -
ment (Specht et al., 2014; Wrzus & Roberts, 
2017). In conjunction with the increased 
interest in personality development, we de -
veloped new frameworks and theoretical 
ideas to help understand and explain these 
new findings and patterns. This included the 
neo- socioanalytic model (Roberts & Wood, 
2006; Roberts & Damian, 2017; Roberts & 
Nickel, 2017) to address issues in personality 
and personality development that were not 
part of existing frameworks. In this chapter 
we provide an up-to-date perspective on per -
sonality development derived from the neo- 
socioanalytic model.The Neo -Socioanalytic  Model
According to the neo-  socioanalytic model, 
personality consists of four domains: traits, 
values and motives, abilities, and narratives. 
Figure 11.1  depicts these primary, essential -
ly distinct domains, as well as the units of 
analysis, the modes of assessment, and the 
primary contexts that may influence person -
ality development. We define traits,  the first 
domain, as the relatively enduring, automat -
ic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behav -
iors that people exhibit in similar situations 
across time. The second domain consists of 
values and motives,  reflecting what people 
want in their lives. Abilities,  the third per -
sonality domain, reflect people’s capabilities. 
While abilities are generally thought about 
in terms of cognitive  abilities, this domain 
could include other types of abilities (e.g., 
emotional or physical abilities) (Lubinski, 
2000; Joseph & Newman, 2010). The focus 
of the fourth domain is narratives,  or the sto -
ries that we use to understand ourselves, our 
environments, and the history of our lives 
(McAdams, Chapter 5, this volume).CHAPTER 11
Personality Development  
across  the Life Course
A Neo‑Socioanalytic Perspective
Brent W. Roberts  
Lauren  B. Nickel