Alex Traut

Attachment orientations are theorized to change in response to significantinterpersonal life events. However, empirical findings remain mixed. Moreover, the role ofsubjective event perceptions—though emphasized in personality research—has been largelybeen neglected in research on attachment development. In a longitudinal study spanning 7waves over 2.5 years, we examined how romantic relationship transitions—entering or endinga committed relationship—predict changes in attachment anxiety and avoidance, and whetherthese effects are moderated by subjective event perceptions. We analyzed data of N = 1,717participants (69.6% women aged 18-40, M = 26.5 years) who were single (52%) or in apartnership (48%) at the beginning of the study. Using multilevel piecewise modeling, wedistinguished selection, anticipation, and socialization effects. Avoidant individuals were lesslikely to enter new relationships (selection effect), and avoidance declined prior to partnering(anticipation effect). Both anxiety and avoidance shifted in response to transitions(socialization effects): anxiety decreased after partnering and increased after separation, whileavoidance showed a temporary decrease post-separation followed by a gradual increase.These shifts mirrored average differences between partnered and single individuals,suggesting rapid adaptation to new social roles. Subjective perceptions of the events (e.g.,valence, social status decrease, predictability) showed limited moderation effects. Overall,findings underscore the importance of social role transitions in shaping attachment processes,while suggesting that subjective evaluations may have a more nuanced role than previouslyassumed. These results contribute to personality theory by clarifying the contextual andexperiential mechanisms underlying intraindividual change in attachment insecurity.

Personality is increasingly viewed as a dynamic system arising from the interaction between individuals and their situations. Yet, in naturalistic data, within-person links between personality states and situation perceptions often conflate two distinct mechanisms: situation contact—what people objectively encounter—and situation construal—how they interpret these encounters. To disentangle these components, we combined two longitudinal approaches: a standardized laboratory study (N = 189) in which situation contact was held largely constant, and a naturalistic experience-sampling study (N = 1,596) capturing the diversity of everyday contexts. Multilevel models revealed meaningful within-person covariation between Big Five states and situation perceptions in both designs. Cross-study comparison of standardized effect sizes confirmed broad replication, yet revealed dimension-specific divergence: Duty and Mating showed pronounced differences across designs, whereas dimensions such as Positivity and Negativity replicated closely. In the naturalistic study, person–situation associations varied systematically across situation cues — social partner, location, and activity — with some associations reversing direction depending on the situation contact. Together, these findings demonstrate that situation contact shapes which person–situation associations emerge and to what degree, and that its influence differs meaningfully across psychological situation dimensions. Incorporating situational context into experience-sampling research is therefore essential for accurately capturing personality as a context-sensitive, dynamic system.

Attachment insecurity is associated with important relationship outcomes, well-being, and mental health. Attachment has long been considered a stable trait, but recent findings indicate that attachment insecurity decreases over time among adults in romantic relationships. Although theoretical considerations suggest that positive experiences within these relationships should contribute to changes in attachment, little is known about the specific characteristics that foster attachment security. Using a longitudinal dyadic sample of well-established couples (N = 1,036 couples; M_{Relationship Duration} = 8.6 years, M_Age = 32.9 years), this study aims to (a) examine changes in attachment anxiety and avoidance in adults in a romantic relationship over 20 months, (b) explore the codevelopment of attachment between partners, and (c) investigate actor and partner effects of relationship characteristics (i.e., relationship satisfaction, commitment, support, closeness, responsiveness, and disclosure) on changes in attachment. Dyadic growth curve models indicated small but significant decreases in anxiety over time in women. No codevelopment between partners was observed. Further, changes in attachment were largely unrelated to baseline relationship characteristics with few exceptions: Women with highly committed and responsive partners showed weaker declines in anxiety, likely due to higher initial anxiety levels. However, changes in anxiety were negatively associated with relationship duration. These findings suggest that avoidance remains stable and uninfluenced by relationship characteristics, while anxiety decreases slightly only in women, independent of partner codevelopment. This highlights that attachment insecurity partially changes over time during the course of a romantic relationship but is largely unaffected by relationship dynamics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

This protocol describes a research project investigating changes in individual differences in the context of relationship transitions in single and partnered individuals. While prior research has examined long-term personality change in the context of life events, this study takes a fine-grained, dynamic approach to capture short-term personality changes before, during, and after relationship transitions. The study integrates trait-level, state-level, and situational perspectives to examine how personality co-evolves with relationship transitions. By employing narrower assessment intervals and considering self-perceived event characteristics, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of personality-change mechanisms in romantic relationships. The study employs a measurement-burst design over 2.5 years, following N = 1,781 participants aged 18–40 (mean age 26.5 years). Half of the sample started the study being single while the other half started in a relationship. Participants completed seven assessment waves at five-month intervals, each consisting of (a) global assessments at the start and end of each wave, and (b) a 3-day experience sampling phase in between. This design enables the investigation of selection effects (who experiences relationship transitions based on personality), anticipation effects (changes in personality before a transition), and socialization effects (changes in personality following relationship transitions). Additionally, by integrating situational context and subjective event characteristics, the research project aimed to address gaps in previous research on personality-situation interactions in relationship transitions. This research project is one of the first to systematically examine short-term personality dynamics in response to romantic relationship transitions. By capturing moment-to-moment changes, it advances research on personality change, relationship research, and life event perception.

Gender differences in personality traits are consistently found in personality research. Common explanations discuss evolutionary causes, social roles and gender norms, and assessment biases. The latter corresponds with findings and models from research on emotional self-reports, which suggest that different judgment processes take place in self-reports depending on the time frame that is being reported on. Gender differences in personality traits could thus stem from people relying on their self-image, identity, and gender norms when answering global trait questionnaires. Results from two German-speaking samples of N = 324 older adults and N = 1,685 younger adults revealed gender differences in global trait scores for emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, but nonsignificant and smaller differences in corresponding average state scores. The findings are in line with theory suggesting that average state reports might be less biased, whereas global trait reports might include stereotypes and identity.

Small gender differences in personality traits are consistently found in personality research. Common explanations discuss evolutionary causes, social roles and gender norms, and assessment biases. The latter corresponds with findings and models from research on emotional self-reports which suggest that different judgment processes take place in self-reports depending on the time frame that is being reported on. Gender differences in personality traits could thus stem from people relying on their self-image, identity, and gender norms when answering global trait questionnaires. Results from two German-speaking samples of N = 324 older adults and N = 1,685 younger adults revealed gender differences in global trait scores for emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, but non-significant and smaller differences in corresponding average state scores. The findings are in line with theory suggesting that average state reports might be less biased, whereas global trait reports might include stereotypes and identity.

With growing interest in within-person variations in personality, reliable instruments for assessing personality states are essential. A literature review revealed that most studies use ad-hoc measures with little focus on content validity. This research presents the development and validation of the German Five-Factor Model Personality States Inventory (FFM-PSI) for intensive longitudinal studies, emphasizing facet-level coverage of the five-factor model. In two studies, participants completed the FFM-PSI along with mood and situation characteristics several times for 3 days and provided ratings of personality traits. Study 1 ( N = 170 individuals/1,549 assessments, 77% women, median age = 25) focused on item selection and establishing initial psychometric properties, while Study 2 ( N = 1,725 persons/18,905 assessments, 70% women, median age = 25) cross-validated the findings from Study 1. Results provide evidence for structural validity, internal consistency, and convergent validity with established personality trait measures, as well as expected associations with mood and situation characteristics. The FFM-PSI also effectively captured meaningful within-person variability. This research supports the FFM-PSI’s psychometric properties, highlighting the importance of valid and reliable measures for studying dynamic personality expressions, and calls for further conceptual and empirical work in this field.

Shared leisure activities play a crucial role in close relationships, with prior research linking exciting joint activities with higher relationship satisfaction. While most studies have focused on comparing different couples, rather than examining variations within couples, this study expands on previous findings by exploring both between- and within-couple associations of shared activities with relationship satisfaction, as well as their short- and long-term effects. This research draws on data from 1,039 heterosexual couples, who completed four sets of daily diaries over a 20-month period (> 62,000 observations total). Results suggest that joint activities (without others present), shared daily life experiences, and frequent sexual contact were associated with higher relationship satisfaction at both between- and within-couple levels. Additionally, daily conversations and shared activities with others were linked to short-term increases in relationship satisfaction within couples but were not associated with higher overall satisfaction between couples. Over time, those couples who managed to maintain high levels of joint activities, sexuality, and conversations experienced weaker declines in relationship satisfaction. Understanding these dynamics can provide deeper insights into how shared experiences influence romantic relationships and inform strategies to enhance relationship satisfaction.

With growing interest in within-person variations in personality, reliable instruments for assessing personality states are essential. A literature review revealed most studies use ad-hoc measures with little focus on content validity. This research presents the development and validation of the German Five-Factor Model Personality States Inventory (FFM-PSI) for intensive longitudinal studies, emphasizing facet-level coverage of the five-factor model.In two studies, participants completed the FFM-PSI along with mood and situation characteristics several times during three days and provided ratings of personality traits. Study 1 (N = 170 individuals / 1,549 assessments, 77% women, median age = 25) focused on item selection and establishing initial psychometric properties, while Study 2 (N = 1,725 persons / 18,905 assessments, 70% women, median age = 25) cross-validated the findings from Study 1. Results provide evidence for structural validity, internal consistency, and convergent validity with established personality trait measures, as well as expected associations with mood and situation characteristics. The FFM-PSI also effectively captured meaningful within-person variability.This research supports the FFM-PSI's psychometric properties, highlighting the importance of valid and reliable measures for studying dynamic personality expressions and calls for further conceptual and empirical work in this field.