Current Trends, Future Pespectives, and Challenges in Personality Research in Japan

Abstract

  The focus of this article is on reviewing studies on personality by Japanese researchers that were published and/or reported over the period from July 2020 to June 2021. It aims to discuss further developments in the personality research area. All of the research studies were arranged within a framework along four viewpoints: (1) studies dealing with personality traits comprehensively, (2) individual differences in psychological constructs or traits of personality, (3) social attitudes, and (4) development of personality and its relation to social adjustment and mental health. The following four points were found to be current research trends in personality studies, and their future directions are discussed. First, studies using meta-analysis or the secondary use of big data increase our understanding of personality traits, and further investigations using these methods are expected. Second, there were many studies related to a construct or a trait of personality multidirectionally, and the integration of these studies are needed. Third, it is important to investigate attitudes toward various social problems. Fourth, an emergence of studies focusing on the promising research themes of relationships among personality, social adjustment and metal health were found.