Ch 4 Flashcards
The focus is on individual differences
o Strength: assesses and attempts to understand how people differ
o Weakness: neglects aspects of personality common to all people and how each person is unique
The Trait Approach
Since people are inconsistent, some psychologists say people are so inconsistent in their behaviour from one situation to the next, that it’s not worth to categorize them as personality traits.
What causes behaviour, the traits of a person? Or the situation the person is in?
Person-Situation Debate
- the ability of traits to predict behaviour is extremely limited
- situations are more important than traits to determine behaviour
- correlations rarely exist between traits and predictability
The Situationists Argument
- poor correlation may be due to poor methodology
- focus on behavioural trends rather than single circumstances
- comparison to a relative standard should be used instead of an absolute standard
Response to the situationist’s argument
The effect of a personality variable may
depend on the situation, or vice versa.
People with different personalities may choose/find themselves in different situations
Situations are affected by the personalities of people who inhabit them
Interactionism
- People are free to do whatever they want.
- Everybody is equal, and differences are a function of the
situation. - “If the situation can really be all-powerful, then nothing we do is ever really our fault” (p. 138).
Situationism’s view of human nature
- Behavior is partly determined by personality.
- Every individual is unique.
- People can develop consistent identities and styles that allow them to be themselves across situations.
Personality’s (traits) view of human nature
persons and situations interact to produce behaviour together. People are psychologically different, and these difference matter.
“People maintain their
personalities even as they adapt their behavior to particular situations”
resolution of the person-situation debate
