title: Studying the Motivated Agent Through Time: Personal Goal Development During the Adult Life Span.
abstract: This research examined the rank-order and mean-level consistency of personal goals at two periods in the adult life span. Personal goal continuity was considered among a group of young adults (N = 145) who reported their goals three times over a 3-year period and among a group of midlife adults (N = 163) who specified their goals annually over a 4-year period. Goals were coded for a series of motive-based (viz., achievement, affiliation, intimacy, power) and domain-based (viz., finance, generativity, health, travel) categories. In both samples, we noted a moderate degree of rank-order consistency across assessment periods. In addition, the majority of goal categories exhibited a high degree of mean-level consistency. The results of this research suggest that (a) the content of goals exhibits a modest degree of rank-order consistency and a substantial degree of mean-level consistency over time, and (b) considering personality continuity and development as manifest via goals represents a viable strategy for personality psychologists.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Riverside.
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Dunlop
authors.affiliation: University of California, Riverside.
authors.forename: Brittany L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Bannon
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University.
authors.forename: Dan P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McAdams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006803:Human Development; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010553:Personality Development; D055815:Young Adult