The normative changes in these traits tend towards configurations of personality that reflect greater emotional stability, self-control, risk avoidance, and agreeableness as people reach adulthood. This normative tendency towards maturity, which has been labeled the maturity principle (Caspi et al., 2005), is thought to be linked to marriage, parenthood, and other adult role transitions (e.g., Roberts et al., 2006; Roberts & Mroczek, 2008).
