Methodological Comment: Temporal Stability of Older Person's Spontaneous Self - Definition

Abstract

Open - ended tasks such as the "Who am I?" ( Bugental & Zelen , 1950 ) or the Twenty Statement Test ( Kuhn & McPartland , 1954 ) have face validity with regard to assessing content and dimensions of self definition . Examined in the present study were questions about short - term temporal stability . Theory suggests that measures of the self may better reflect intraindividual variability than personality tests . Free response and card - sort versions of the "Who am I?" were completed twice over an 8 - week period by a volunteer sample of older persons (N = 104 ;age range : 69-92 years , M = 79 ). Low temporal stability of self - definition was found on an intraindividual level and on the level of interindividual differences . Measures of personality showed high stabil ity . Although the "Who am I?" may not be the best instrument for assessing the content aspects of self - definition that are stable over time and across situations , it may provide a measure of situation - related variability .