Tendencies, FFT can explain why changes in roles need not affect per -
sonality traits.
Interpersonal Relationships
Some aspects of interpersonal relationships are based on roles, and as
roles change, so do relationships. Soldiers who fought on opposite sidescan be friends when the war is over; students can become the colleaguesof their professors when they graduate; retired executives can no longerdominate others as they used to. These changes in relationships are per -
haps the most significant feature of changes in roles.
Other aspects of interpersonal behavior are expressions of traits
that cut across many different roles and impart a personal flavor to theirinterpretation. As far as role requirements allow , the friendly person islikely to respond with warmth to employers, neighbors, and relativesalike. The shy person will be self-conscious among strangers, but alsowith friends when he or she is too much the center of attention. Becausethese dispositions cut across roles, the changes in roles that come withage do not affect their expression and they tend to remain stable acrossthe adult years.
But there are some relationships that are shaped by more than
social-role requirements or personal dispositions. Farrell and Rosenberg(1981), for example, in their discussion of husbands and wives atmidlife, acknowledge that the adage that opposites attract has rarelybeen supported by research but point out that couples seem to developa pattern of complementary behavior. T wo assertive individuals maymake a couple in which one is clearly dominant, or they may carve outseparate domains in which to exercise their dominance (traditionally ,the wife ran the house and the husband made decisions about the car).Whenever two individuals share a significant and lasting relationship,its characteristics are likely to be the result of the particular ecology ofboth of the persons and of the situation, a series of compromises andadaptations evolved over a period of time.
We might describe a relationship in terms of patterns of power and
dependency , the emotional support given or received, or the depth andnature of the bond of love or hatred. Little is known about the stabilityof these features of relationships. Do newlyweds quickly set up a pat -
tern that will endure throughout married life, or are the terms con -Influences of Personality on the Life Course 213