And you can score the tests yourself or use a scoring service. In the November 1996 issue of the American Psychological Association's Monitor , results of three psychobiographical studies are merged in order to profile American presidents according to the Five-Factor Model. There is a strong genetic component to personality that is resistant to change. However, a part of personality is learned, and that part is changeable. From age 20 to age 30, a developmental change has been detected in which N, E, and O tend to decrease, while A and C tend to increase.
Cultural emphases can affect personality change.
The Big Five suggests that personality traits and talents are genetic. Identical twins show remarkably close resemblance in personality traits, and that is because their genetic material is identical. Yet identical twins will be more different from either one of their parents than they are from each other. So, for example, my sister may be tone-deaf, while I have an excellent sense of pitch. Both are inherited.