The evolving portrait of psychologists: A commentary on Xu et al. (2026).

Xu et al.'s (2026) portrayal of the evolving portrait of psychologists is valuable, yet several points merit further discussion or refinement. When interpreting the "decline of conscientiousness and rise of openness," additional factors should be considered-such as psychology's growing applied attribute, the public impact of psychoanalysis, transformations in book publishing, and the increasing number of female psychologists. The analysis could also benefit from: A stronger account of psychology's own disciplinary self-positioning, cross-cultural extensions and comparative findings, and comparisons with personality assessments of actual psychologists. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).