Emotional instability epidemic in Japan: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the Yatabe-Guilford personality inventory, 1957 to 2012

The present study examines changes over time in 12 traits of the Yatabe-Guilford Personality Inventory that has been commonly used in Japan. A cross-temporal meta-analysis was conducted on 245 samples (95 papers) of Japanese people who completed the scale between 1954 to 2012 (total N = 50,327). Most of the traits showed curvilinear changes with survey year. Especially in recent years, Emotional Instability traits tended to increase with time whereas Dominance and Non-reflection traits tended to decrease. Čhanges to Thinking Extraversion and Nervousness correlated strongly with the changes to self-esteem between 1984 and 2009. Implications of the changes in the personality traits with survey year are discussed along with future research directions.