Editorial: Youth personality development

Abstract

The period between childhood and adulthood is a turbulent time of life (Hollenstein & Lougheed, 2013). While there is a solid body of research on youth social, biological, and psychological development (Sawyer et al., 2018; Steinberg & Morris, 2001), surprisingly little is known about personality processes and individual differences in them during these years. The papers in this Special Issue make important contributions to the current literature in three ways: first, by mapping developmental patterns to broader conceptualizations of personality, including personality pathology, second, by examining predictors and mechanisms in youth personality development, and third, by linking youth personality development to later life outcomes. We hope that the results of these papers will contribute to a more nuanced understanding of adolescent personality development in diverse cultural contexts and stimulate new integrative research.