Post-traumatic growth as positive personality change: Challenges, opportunities, and recommendations

Eranda Jayawickreme; Frank J Infurna; Kinan Alajak; Laura E R Blackie; William J Chopik; Joanne M Chung; Anna Dorfman; William Fleeson; Marie J C Forgeard; Patricia Frazier; R Michael Furr; Igor Grossmann; Aaron S Heller; Odilia M Laceulle; Richard E Lucas; Maike Luhmann; Gloria Luong; Laurien Meijer; Kate C McLean; Crystal L Park; Ann Marie Roepke; Zeina Al Sawaf; Howard Tennen; Rebecca M B White; Renée Zonneveld

doi:10.1111/jopy.12591

Post-traumatic growth as positive personality change: Challenges, opportunities, and recommendations

J Pers. 2021 Feb;89(1):145-165. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12591. Epub 2020 Sep 23.

Authors

Eranda Jayawickreme¹, Frank J Infurna², Kinan Alajak³, Laura E R Blackie⁴, William J Chopik⁵, Joanne M Chung⁶, Anna Dorfman⁷, William Fleeson¹, Marie J C Forgeard⁸, Patricia Frazier⁹, R Michael Furr¹, Igor Grossmann⁷, Aaron S Heller¹⁰, Odilia M Laceulle³, Richard E Lucas⁵, Maike Luhmann¹¹, Gloria Luong¹², Laurien Meijer³, Kate C McLean¹³, Crystal L Park¹⁴, Ann Marie Roepke¹⁵, Zeina Al Sawaf³, Howard Tennen¹⁴, Rebecca M B White², Renée Zonneveld¹⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology and Program for Leadership and Character, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
² Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
³ Karakter Project, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
⁴ School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada.
⁷ Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada.
⁸ Clinical Psychology Department, William James College, Newton, MA, USA.
⁹ Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA.
¹¹ Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
¹² Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, COL, USA.
¹³ Department of Psychology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
¹⁵ Evoke Training and Consulting, PLLC, Seattle, WA, USA.
¹⁶ Karakter Project, Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.

Abstract

Objective: Post-traumatic growth typically refers to enduring positive psychological change experienced as a result of adversity, trauma, or highly challenging life circumstances. Critics have challenged insights from much of the prior research on this topic, pinpointing its significant methodological limitations. In response to these critiques, we propose that post-traumatic growth can be more accurately captured in terms of personality change-an approach that affords a more rigorous examination of the phenomenon.

Method: We outline a set of conceptual and methodological questions and considerations for future work on the topic of post-traumatic growth.

Results: We provide a series of recommendations for researchers from across the disciplines of clinical/counseling, developmental, health, personality, and social psychology and beyond, who are interested in improving the quality of research examining resilience and growth in the context of adversity.

Conclusion: We are hopeful that these recommendations will pave the way for a more accurate understanding of the ubiquity, durability, and causal processes underlying post-traumatic growth.

Keywords: adversity; character change; methodological approaches to studying adversity; open science; personality change; posttraumatic growth.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Humans
Personality
Personality Disorders
Posttraumatic Growth, Psychological*
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

Grants and funding

K01 AG056660/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States