Metatraits: Stability and Plasticity

Stability

The tendency toward stable functioning and self-control, allowing people to pursue goals without being disrupted by impulses and emotions. (Protects from disruption)

Plasticity

Exploration and engagement with novelty. Cognitive and behavioral flexibility. Incorporating novel information in interpretations, strategies, and goals. (Facilitates exploration)

Big five traits that make up Stability

Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Low Neuroticism

Big five traits that make up plasticity

Extraversion, Openness/Intellect

Stability makes novelty seem

less threatening

Plasticity makes novelty seem

more promising

Plasticity and extraversion-

Behavioral exploration

Plasticity and Openness/Intellect-

Cognitive exploration

Characteristic adaptations

Goals, interpretations, and strategies that develop based on an individual’s experiences and circumstances.

When a major goal fails

Chaos, enthropy, unkown. Can lead to personality change.

High levels of Plasticity

Appears to make people motivated to explore the unknown and develop new characteristic adaptations

High levels of stability

Appears to protect people from being disrupted by impulses and emotions in response to the complexities of life

Getting out of control negatively associated with

Stability

Try to follow the rules positively associated with

Stability

Have a natural talent for influencing people positively correlated with

Plasticity

Have difficulty expressing feelings negatively correlated with

Plasticity

Stability predicts

Investment in work, family, religion, volunteerism. Early bird. Conformity.

Plasticity predicts

Entrepreneurism, night owl, behavior problems.

Acquisitive self-monitoring

Adjusting behavior to pursue personal goals, gain status, and influence others. Predicted by plasticity.

Protective monitoring (insecure)

Monitoring behavior because of concern about social appropriateness, social anxiety, or feeling threatened. Predicted by low stability.

Stability negatively predicted

Threat

Plasticity positively predicted

Exploration

Disintegration

Existing goals, strategies, and beliefs stop working together effectively. (often after a major life event or failure)

Reintegration

Developing new goals, strategies, and beliefs to restore a sense of direction.

Facets of Nueroticism

Withdrawal, Volatility

Facets of Agreeableness

Compassion, Politeness

Facets of conscientiousness

Industriousness, Orderliness

Facets of extraversion

Enthusiasm, Assertiveness

Facets of openness/intellect

Openness, Intellect