tion of age irrelevance to account for the fact that age is not a very useful
predictor of social functioning. As we shall see later, within the field ofpersonality research this emphasis on stability has been strongly sec -
onded by the work of investigators like Jack Block (1981) and Ilene C.
Siegler and colleagues (see Costa, Herbst, McCrae, & Siegler, 2000). Itis beginning to appear as if James and Freud were right.
But if nothing happens with age, why write a book?This reaction is shared by some of our colleagues in the field, and it
is one with which we have often confronted ourselves. One answerwould be to persuade people about stability , to disillusion those who arelooking for some magic transformation with age or to reassure thosewho fear that they face periods of developmental crisis and turmoil andwould much prefer to continue the business of their lives.
There is also another, better answer. We have not said, nor will we
say , that nothing of psychological importance occurs in adulthood. Peo-ple live most of their lives in this period; they begin careers, raise chil-dren, fight wars, and make peace; they experience triumph and despair,boredom and love. Old age, too, has its share of new experience andnew perspectives on old experience. All of this makes a fascinating story(Gullette, 1989). From our point of view , it is all the more fascinatingsince one of the keys to the story is the individual’s personality . Peoplestay much the same in their basic dispositions, but these enduring traitslead them to particular and ever-changing lives.
In Search of a Phenomenon
Most sciences start with a phenomenon and try to explain it. Astronomyarose from attempts to account for the regular changes observed in themoon and stars. Biology tries to explain how different species havecome to exist and adapt so differently to their environments. Culturalanthropology began in efforts to explain the puzzling customs ofpreliterate societies, just as abnormal psychology developed from obser -
vation of the bizarre behavior of the mentally ill. But if we ask what stu -
dents of aging and personality are trying to explain, we are likely to
draw a blank. The field of adult personality development seems to haveemerged as an afterthought, a logical extension of other branches ofstudy .
Some researchers came to it by way of gerontology , the study of ag -
ing. We know that there are major changes in physiology with age, and
the popular belief that old people begin to lose their memory has been6 PERSONALITY IN ADULTHOOD