The Impact of Parental Personalities on Children's Lives

A new study led by Joshua Jackson, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, explores how parents' personalities can shape the lives of their children. The study involved nearly 9,400 kids aged 11-17 and their parents who participated in a German survey that has been running since 1984. Researchers considered the "big five" traits psychologists use to describe personality in broad strokes: Extroversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. The study found that parent personalities have a significant impact on a child's life, even after taking the child's personality into account.