The Big Five: A combination of personality traits in three generations of Russian society

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the variability of human personality traits over time. Despite the existence of numerous theories on personality, there remains limited attention given to how these traits change across the lifespan. Notably, clear differences in behavior and attitudes between generations within Russian society have become increasingly evident, raising questions about the personality traits that contribute to such generational differences, even among individuals from the same family. This study hypothesized that while some personality traits remain stable over time, others exhibit greater variability. Data were collected through a survey conducted in 2024, involving three generational cohorts: students (aged 18-23), parents (aged 40-50), and seniors (aged 60-75). The personality traits were assessed with a brief version of the Big Five by M. S. Egorova and O. V. Parshikova (2016). Statistical differences between the generational groups were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and MannWhitney tests. The findings revealed that certain traits, such as neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience, demonstrated significant variability across generations, likely reflecting the impact of social and biological changes over time. These traits were found to increase or decrease across generations, contributing to different behavioral patterns observed at various stage of life. Conversely, traits such as extraversion and agreeableness were relatively stable across generations, suggesting that they may be influenced by the broader cultural and social context of Russian society.