Codevelopment in personality : the interplay between big five traits, self esteem, and satisfaction in couples and families

Big Five traits and self-esteem play a crucial role in explaining satisfaction in couples. Moreover, no clear answer exists whether similarity in Big Five traits and self-esteem predict couple satisfaction. Further, little evidence exists showing whether relationship satisfaction predicts Big Five traits and self-esteem. These personality constructs have rarely been studied conjointly and no research is available to give some indication of how family members impact each other in Big Five traits and self-esteem (i.e., codevelopment in personality). This cumulative dissertation encloses five studies with the goal to review current research on Big Five traits and satisfaction in couples, to test whether Big Five traits, self-esteem, and the partners’ similarity in personality predict relationship satisfaction and whether relationships satisfaction predicts later personality. We further examine self-esteem as mediator between Big Five traits and relationship satisfaction and perceptual processes as mediators between self-esteem, neuroticism, and relationship satisfaction. We also study Big Five traits and self-esteem conjointly to test for their reciprocal association and their possible impact on family members’ personalities. The five studies reveal that (a) neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and self-esteem are especially vital for both partners’ satisfaction, (b) Big Five trait and self-esteem similarity does not substantially contribute to satisfaction in addition to both partners’ personality main effects, with the exception of neuroticism and openness, (c) self-esteem and perceptual processes emerged as mediators, (d) Big Five traits and self-esteem are associated concurrently and have a bidirectional impact on each other longitudinally, and (e) evidence from studies with adolescent and young adult children suggests little impact of family members’ personalities on their Big Five traits and self-esteem. The present dissertation highlights the importance of the conjoint examination of Big Five traits and self-esteem and their reciprocity over time. Finally, the analysis of the impact of family members’ personality traits and self-esteem suggests new research avenues when studying Big Five traits and self-esteem development.

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