Personality Reconsidered: A New Agenda for Aging Research

The purpose of this article is to introduce a newly emerging model of personality that integrates structures and processes within a levels-of-analysis framework. This model, labeled the six foci of personality, includes traits, personal action constructs, and life stories as structural components, and it includes states, self-regulation, and self-narration as the parallel process constructs. Conceptual and methodological issues are discussed in relation to this model, and each of the six foci is reviewed for its relevance to personality and aging. It is argued that the model provides a framework so that the research base in each of the six focal areas can be nurtured, solidified, and organized—ultimately contributing to a more integrative, comprehensive understanding of personality and its importance over the life span.