Abstract
In this target article, we argue that personality processes, personality structure, and personality development have to be understood and investigated in integrated ways in order to provide comprehensive responses to the key questions of personality psychology. The psychological processes and mechanisms that explain concrete behaviour in concrete situations should provide explanation for patterns of variation across situations and individuals, for development over time as well as for structures observed in intra-individual and inter-individual differences. Personality structures, defined as patterns of covariation in behaviour, including thoughts and feelings, are results of those processes in transaction with situational affordances and regularities. It cannot be presupposed that processes are organized in ways that directly correspond to the observed structure. Rather, it is an empirical question whether shared sets of processes are uniquely involved in shaping correlated behaviours, but not uncorrelated behaviours (what we term ‘correspondence’ throughout this paper), or whether more complex interactions of processes give rise to population-level patterns of covariation (termed ‘emergence’). The paper is organized in three parts, with part I providing the main arguments, part II reviewing some of the past approaches at (partial) integration, and part III outlining conclusions of how future personality psychology should progress towards complete integration. Working definitions for the central terms are provided in the appendix.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 503-528 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | European Journal of Personality |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2017 |
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Keywords
- affect
- causal process
- development
- emergence
- explanation
- functional approach
- information processing
- learning
- motivation
- network approach
- personality
- self-reflection
- self-regulation
- structure
- traits
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
Cite this
Integrating Personality Structure, Personality Process, and Personality Development. / Baumert, Anna; Schmitt, Manfred; Perugini, Marco; Johnson, Wendy; Blum, Gabriela; Borkenau, Peter; Costantini, Giulio; Denissen, Jaap J.A.; Fleeson, William; Grafton, Ben; Jayawickreme, Eranda; Kurzius, Elena; MacLeod, Colin; Miller, Lynn C.; Read, Stephen J.; Roberts, Brent; Robinson, Michael D.; Wood, Dustin; Wrzus, Cornelia.
In: European Journal of Personality, Vol. 31, No. 5, 01.09.2017, p. 503-528.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrating Personality Structure, Personality Process, and Personality Development
AU - Baumert, Anna
AU - Schmitt, Manfred
AU - Perugini, Marco
AU - Johnson, Wendy
AU - Blum, Gabriela
AU - Borkenau, Peter
AU - Costantini, Giulio
AU - Denissen, Jaap J.A.
AU - Fleeson, William
AU - Grafton, Ben
AU - Jayawickreme, Eranda
AU - Kurzius, Elena
AU - MacLeod, Colin
AU - Miller, Lynn C.
AU - Read, Stephen J.
AU - Roberts, Brent
AU - Robinson, Michael D.
AU - Wood, Dustin
AU - Wrzus, Cornelia
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - In this target article, we argue that personality processes, personality structure, and personality development have to be understood and investigated in integrated ways in order to provide comprehensive responses to the key questions of personality psychology. The psychological processes and mechanisms that explain concrete behaviour in concrete situations should provide explanation for patterns of variation across situations and individuals, for development over time as well as for structures observed in intra-individual and inter-individual differences. Personality structures, defined as patterns of covariation in behaviour, including thoughts and feelings, are results of those processes in transaction with situational affordances and regularities. It cannot be presupposed that processes are organized in ways that directly correspond to the observed structure. Rather, it is an empirical question whether shared sets of processes are uniquely involved in shaping correlated behaviours, but not uncorrelated behaviours (what we term ‘correspondence’ throughout this paper), or whether more complex interactions of processes give rise to population-level patterns of covariation (termed ‘emergence’). The paper is organized in three parts, with part I providing the main arguments, part II reviewing some of the past approaches at (partial) integration, and part III outlining conclusions of how future personality psychology should progress towards complete integration. Working definitions for the central terms are provided in the appendix.
AB - In this target article, we argue that personality processes, personality structure, and personality development have to be understood and investigated in integrated ways in order to provide comprehensive responses to the key questions of personality psychology. The psychological processes and mechanisms that explain concrete behaviour in concrete situations should provide explanation for patterns of variation across situations and individuals, for development over time as well as for structures observed in intra-individual and inter-individual differences. Personality structures, defined as patterns of covariation in behaviour, including thoughts and feelings, are results of those processes in transaction with situational affordances and regularities. It cannot be presupposed that processes are organized in ways that directly correspond to the observed structure. Rather, it is an empirical question whether shared sets of processes are uniquely involved in shaping correlated behaviours, but not uncorrelated behaviours (what we term ‘correspondence’ throughout this paper), or whether more complex interactions of processes give rise to population-level patterns of covariation (termed ‘emergence’). The paper is organized in three parts, with part I providing the main arguments, part II reviewing some of the past approaches at (partial) integration, and part III outlining conclusions of how future personality psychology should progress towards complete integration. Working definitions for the central terms are provided in the appendix.
KW - affect
KW - causal process
KW - development
KW - emergence
KW - explanation
KW - functional approach
KW - information processing
KW - learning
KW - motivation
KW - network approach
KW - personality
KW - self-reflection
KW - self-regulation
KW - structure
KW - traits
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85032343954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85032343954&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/per.2115
DO - 10.1002/per.2115
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85032343954
VL - 31
SP - 503
EP - 528
JO - European Journal of Personality
JF - European Journal of Personality
SN - 0890-2070
IS - 5
ER -