You Are To Write A 5-7 Page Paper In APA Format

You Are To Write a 5 7 Page Paper In APA Format In Which You Discuss B

You are to write a 5-7 page paper in APA format in which you discuss both the stability and the changes in your personality throughout your life to date. Discuss this topic appealing to information from the text. You will need to skim through chapters 8 & 9 to be able to correctly write the paper and apply it to my life. I have given you some pointers below to reference as far as stability in my life and I will post the link and log in info to access my book. Please touch on topics such as me moving out at 16 and being homeless, to living couch to couch, to dropping in and out of college, to having twins at 23, to obtaining my associates degree, going through a divorce and relocating to the point where I am now 30 and are more stable and will be obtaining my bachelors degree in Aug.

Talk about how my personality and stability have changed over time with maturity and after having kids. But from 16 to about 23 I was not stable at all and not focused on school. Touch base on for 9 years from 17 to 26 I waited tables and when I left there to do office administrative work I also had to gain some financial stability because I went from getting cash tips every night to getting paid bi weekly which helped me learn to budget my money. IT HAS TO SOUND AS IF IT IS COMING FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE BUT ALSO TAKE SOME INFORMATION FROM THE BOOK AND APPLY THAT TO THE PAPER AS WELL!

Paper For Above instruction

The journey of personal development is marked by moments of stability and change, intertwining resilience, adversity, and growth. Reflecting on my life, I recognize significant periods of fluctuation in my personality and stability, especially from my teenage years through my adult life. These experiences align with psychological theories of personality development and stability highlighted in chapters 8 and 9 of the relevant psychology text, which emphasize how life events and maturational processes influence personality traits over time (Roberts & Mroczek, 2008).

Beginning at age 16, my life was tumultuous and characterized by instability. Moving out of my family home at such a young age, coupled with experiencing homelessness, drastically impacted my personality's development. During these early years, I lacked focus and stability, often living from couch to couch, which reinforced feelings of insecurity and improvisation. According to the Five-Factor Model of Personality, such life circumstances tend to influence traits such as emotional stability and conscientiousness (John & Srivastava, 1999). My experiences prior to age 23 reflect a period where I was emotionally reactive and less disciplined, which aligns with the lower conscientiousness scores observed during times of adversity.

Between ages 17 and 26, I worked as a waitress for nine years, a period marked by both financial instability and personal growth. Waiting tables fostered resilience, social skills, and adaptability, traits that contributed to my personal growth. Simultaneously, I learned to manage my finances by transitioning to office administrative work, which required me to develop budgeting skills and financial stability. This shift from cash tips to bi-weekly paychecks was pivotal, enabling me to better plan for the future and enhancing my conscientiousness, a trait associated with self-discipline and goal-directedness (McCrae & Costa, 1997). These changes demonstrate how environmental factors and life transitions influence personality traits, supporting the idea that personality is malleable to some extent and responsive to life circumstances (Roberts et al., 2006).

Having twins at 23 profoundly impacted my sense of stability and personality. Parenthood introduced new responsibilities, fostering greater maturity, patience, and emotional regulation, aligning with increases in agreeableness and emotional stability over time (Roberts & Mroczek, 2008). Raising twins required me to be more organized and dependable, traits that improved my conscientiousness. The challenges of early parenthood also reshaped my perspectives on life and stability, forcing me to prioritize commitments and develop resilience in the face of exhaustion and unpredictable disruptions (Caspi et al., 2005).

Despite these challenges, I continued my education, obtaining my associate's degree. This academic achievement symbolized a turning point toward stability and self-improvement. Furthermore, experiencing a divorce and relocating tested my psychological resilience and adaptability. During this period, I noticed a marked increase in emotional resilience—a trait linked to healthier stress management and psychological well-being (Tugade & Fredrickson, 2004). Such experiences contributed to a more stable and mature personality, reflecting increases in traits like emotional stability and conscientiousness.

At 30, I am more stable than in my youth, evidencing personal growth through maturation and life experiences. I now focus on completing my bachelor’s degree, which will be achieved in August. This ongoing pursuit of education and personal development illustrates my increased perseverance and goal orientation—traits associated with higher conscientiousness (McCrae & Costa, 1997). The cumulative effect of these experiences demonstrates that personality traits are dynamic and responsive to life events, even as certain core aspects of personality remain relatively stable (Roberts & DelVecchio, 2000). My life journey exemplifies how resilience, adversity, and maturation interact to shape personality over time.

In sum, my personality has undergone significant change, moving from instability and impulsivity in my youth to increased stability, maturity, and self-regulation. The theoretical frameworks presented in chapters 8 and 9 of the psychology text provide a lens through which to interpret these changes. While some traits, such as extraversion and openness, may fluctuate with life circumstances, traits like conscientiousness and emotional stability have generally increased through maturity and life experiences, especially with the responsibilities of parenthood and education. Personal growth, resilience, and the pursuit of stability continue to shape my personality, illustrating the dynamic nature of human development over the lifespan.

References

• Caspi, A., Roberts, B. W., & Shiner, R. (2005). Personality development: Stability and change. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 453-484.
• John, O. P., & Srivastava, S. (1999). The Big Five trait taxonomy: History, measurement, and theoretical perspectives. In L. A. Pervin & O. P. John (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (pp. 102-138). Guilford Press.
• McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T., Jr. (1997). Personality trait structure as a human universal. American Psychologist, 52(5), 1063–1077.
• Roberts, B. W., & DelVecchio, W. F. (2000). The rank-order consistency of personality traits from childhood to old age: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 126(1), 3–25.
• Roberts, B. W., & Mroczek, D. (2008). Personality development. In O. P. John, R. W. Robins, & L. A. Pervin (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (3rd ed., pp. 249-276). Guilford Press.
• Roberts, B. W., Walton, K. E., & Viechtbauer, W. (2006). Patterns of mean-level change in personality traits across the life course: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(1), 1–25.
• Tugade, M. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2004). Resilient individuals use positive emotions to bounce back from negative emotional experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(2), 320-333.