Constancy or change in adult personality organization can be assessed by comparing the factor structure of personality instruments at different ages, and some studies have reported cross-sectional differences in structure. The present study compares the factor structure of the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey scales longitudinally in three administrations six years apart and cross-sectionally in three age cohorts. Additional analyses compare first administration data collected in two successive decades to test for variation in structure resulting from cultural change over that period. Subjects were 769 male volunteers in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, aged 17 to 97 at the time of the first administration. Three varimax-rotated principal components were extracted in each of eight analyses. Results show no systematic evidence of variation in structure in any of these groups, with coefficients of factor congruence ranging from .83 to .99. This longitudinally demonstrated invariance of personality structure is discussed in terms of the implications for the stability of personality organization throughout the adult years and for the use of personality tests in elderly groups.
Personal adjustment to aging: longitudinal prediction from neuroticism and extraversion

Personal adjustment to aging as measured by scales from the Chicago Attitude Inventory (CAI) was examined longitudinally in a community-dwelling sample of 557 men aged 17 to 97. Concurrent and predictive relations between this age-appropriate measure of well-being and personality were examined by correlating the CAI variables with three factors from the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey identified as Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Thinking Introversion. As hypothesized, Neuroticism was related negatively and Extraversion was related positively to most concurrent measures of well-being in both younger and older subsamples. Thinking Introversion was related only to positive attitudes toward religion. Predictive correlations between personality and subjective well-being over two-to-ten (M = 5.3) and ten-to-seventeen (M = 12.6) year intervals confirmed earlier research, and showed that enduring personality disposition antedate and predict measures of personal adjustment to aging.
Somatic complaints in males as a function of age and neuroticism: a longitudinal analysis

Previous research has shown that both age and neuroticism are correlated with total scores on self-report health inventories; the present study concerns the influence of these two factors on reports of physical complaints in various bodily systems. Six- and twelve-year longitudinal analyses of the physical health sections (A-L) of the Cornell medical Index were supplemented with cross-and time-sequential analyses. Subjects, aged 17-97, were taken from a group of 1038 male participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Results showed that problems in sensory, cardiovascular, and genitourinary systems increased with age, while health habits improved. More neurotic subjects, as measured by the psychiatric sections (M-R) of the CMId and the Emotional Stability Scale of the GZTS showed higher levels of endorsements on all sections. These results suggest that age does not produce a generalized increase in physical complaints; instead, specific age-related symptoms show increases. Implications of these findings for research involving self-assessments of health are discussed.
Personal adjustment to aging: Longitudinal prediction from neuroticism and extraversion

Personal adjustment to aging as measured by scales from the Chicago Attitude Inventory (CAI) was examined longitudinally in a community-dwelling sample of 557 men aged 17-97 yrs. Concurrent and predictive relations between this age-appropriate measure of well-being and personality were examined by correlating the CAI variables with three factors from the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey identified as Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Thinking Introversion. As hypothesized, Neuroticism was related negatively and Extraversion was related positively to most concurrent measures of well-being in both younger and older subsamples. "Thinking Introversion" was related only to positive attitudes toward religion. Predictive correlations between personality and subjective well-being over 2-10 and 10-17 yr intervals showed that enduring personality dispositions antedate and predict measures of personal adjustment to aging.
Constancy of adult personality structure in males: Longitudinal, cross-sectional and times-of-measurement analyses

Compared the factor structure of the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey scales longitudinally in three administrations six yrs apart and cross-sectionally in 3 age cohorts. Additional analyses compared 1st administration data collected in two successive decades to test for variation in structure resulting from cultural change over that period. Ss were 769 men in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, aged 17-97 yrs at the time of 1st administration. Three varimax-rotated principal components were extracted in each of eight analyses. Results show no systematic evidence of variation in structure in any of these groups. This invariance of personality structure is discussed in terms of the implications for the stability of personality organization throughout the adult years and for the use of personality tests in elderly groups.
Somatic complaints in males as a function of age and neuroticism: A longitudinal analysis

Investigated the influence of age and neuroticism on reports of physical complaints in various bodily systems. Six- and 12-yr longitudinal analyses of the physical health sections (A-L) of the Cornell Medical Index (CMI) were supplemented with cross- and time-sequential analyses. Ss (aged 20-97 yrs) were taken from a group of 1,038 men in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Results show that problems in sensory, cardiovascular, and genitourinary systems increased with age, while health habits improved. More neurotic Ss, as measured by the psychiatric sections (M-R) of the CMI and the Emotional Stability scale of the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, showed higher levels of endorsements on all sections. These results suggest that age does not produce a generalized increase in physical complaints; instead, specific age-related symptoms show increases.
Enduring dispositions in adult males

Retest coefficients for temperamental traits measured by the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey were assessed at 6- and 12-yr intervals to determine the degree of stability in personality and to evaluate the hypotheses that (a) younger men will show lower stability than older men and (b) traits related to neuroticism will be less stable than traits related to extraversion. Ss were 460 male volunteers in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, ranging in age from 17 to 85 yrs at the time of 1st testing. Results show uncorrected stability coefficients ranging from .59 to .87. No consistent evidence of lower stability in younger Ss was found, and neurotic and extraverted traits appeared comparably stable when corrected for unreliability. The replicated pattern of consistent stability across age groups and across traits is discussed.