Personality Set by 6.

Image courtesy of Guru Design

Some study says your personality is pretty much set by age six.

It would seem that a few thousand first graders from the 60′s were studied, and around 150 of them were interviewed later in their 40′s. Four traits were followed: talkativeness, impulsivity, adaptableness and self-minimizing behavior.  If you were chatty, impulsive and adaptable- goody for you! The study says you just won the personality jackpot: you’re most likely going to be cheerful, intellectual, with great language fluency.

What if you’re not chatty, like consistency, and talk badly about yourself? Not good my friend, not good at all. You give up easily, seek advice, are insecure and have an awkward interpersonal style.

As a first grader I was talkative (I know, I know. But seriously, in my report card it says “extremely talkative” and it wasn’t meant in a good way.) I was also adaptive — I loved change and still do. And impulsive- I was totally A.D.D. material. Sure I’m cheerful, somewhat smart, but I’m also shy, insecure and self-minimizing at times.

Basically I’m a mosaic of good and bad personality traits. I think we all are.

Is personality set at age six? Can four traits really be a good predictor?

Well, a human can be broken down into about $4.50 worth total of Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Calcium, etc., but gathered the elements together- a human body it doesn’t make.

I really don’t like studies like these. They are always well-meaning, and somewhat interesting in a cocktail party chit-chat sort of way, but it can be wide-open to crap interpretation and actual application. Can you imagine the devastation if something like this was actually used as a diagnostic tool? Intervention on six year olds because they’re shy, get after themselves for making mistakes or just like routine? Therapy to be more impulsive?

Good news is, if they start now, it’ll take about four decades to get any more insights…