Page 56 - CCU FULL BOOK

the effects of going abroad on the development of openness and

neuroticism. Furthermore, recent research also corroborated the

effects of relationship qualities. Best friend support accounted for

increases in extraversion from age 17 to 23 years, whereas higher
levels of conflict with best friends were shown to predict

decreases in extraversion and self-esteem. Likewise, increases of

friendship conflict and higher levels of insecurity toward friends

predicted increases in neuroticism across young adulthood.

Again, a comparison of effects across different relationship
categories corroborated the predominance of effects for

friendships, that is, relationships that reflect self-selected

lifestyles and social contexts.

In sum, although earlier research raised doubts about

friendships influencing personality development, recent studies

evidenced such longitudinal transactions. The interplay of
personality traits and friendships provides a generic example of

a full transaction pattern (i.e., personality effects on relationships

and vice versa), which emphasizes the importance of friendships

in the person– environment interplay. However, the pattern of

results is complex, as effects are scattered across all trait domains.
Further research is needed to gain deeper insight into the specific

contingencies between different personality traits and various

relationship qualities. Furthermore, the processes that mediate

mutual influences of personality and relationship characteristics

as well as potential moderators of their interplay have yet to be