The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

by Jonathan Haidt

But psychologist Dan McAdams has suggested that personality really has three levels,17 and too much attention has been paid to the lowest level, the basic traits. A second level of personality, “characteristic adaptations,” includes personal goals, defense and coping mechanisms, values, beliefs, and life-stage concerns (such as those of parenthood or retirement) that people develop to succeed in their particular roles and niches. These adaptations are influenced by basic traits: A person high on neuroticism will have many more defense mechanisms; an extrovert will rely more heavily on social relationships. But in this middle level, the person’s basic traits are made to mesh with facts about the person’s environment and stage of life. When those facts change—as after losing a spouse—the person’s characteristic adaptations change. The elephant might be slow to change, but the elephant and rider, working together, find new ways of getting through the day.