Personality types during transition to young adulthood: How are they related to life situation and well-being?

The present longitudinal study examined personality types, their change, and their relations with life outcomes and well-being in a sample of young Finns (N = 493) that was followed from age 15 to 23. The Big Five traits were measured at ages 20 and 23, and four personality types – Resilients, Overcontrollers, Anti-Resilients, and “Averages” – emerged at both time points. Those with higher initial well-being were more likely to be later classified as Resilients, whereas those with low and decreasing well-being were more likely to be classified as Anti-Resilients. At age 23, Anti-Resilients were less likely to have reached normative educational goals than others, and more likely to be unemployed than others, but Overcontrollers were less likely to be in a romantic relationship than others. The results question the universality of the three-type structure, but support the predictive validity of personality types.