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Am I Me or Am I the Situation?

Am I Me or Am I the Situation?. Does Personality Change?. Foundation of personality psychology is personality stability and predictive utility If personality changes this threatens the field’s usefulness Especially if change is random Prediction difficult

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Am I Me or Am I the Situation?

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  1. Am I Me or Am I the Situation?

  2. Does Personality Change? • Foundation of personality psychology is personality stability and predictive utility • If personality changes this threatens the field’s usefulness • Especially if change is random • Prediction difficult • Central debate has been whether personality or situation better predictor

  3. Person or Situation? • Account for 2 observations: • Behavior varies across situation • Perceive ourselves as the same person • Are we different people in different situations? • Historical emphasis on one or the other • Internal or external • Implications for methodology, Qs, etc.

  4. Person-Situation Debate • Either Or Question • 1940s, 1950s internal emphasis • Freudian personality types (anal character) • Projective techniques and trait inventories

  5. Mischel (1968) challenge • Dissatisfied with internal emphasis on traits • Argued for situational focus • Situational changes predict behavior > traits • Ostensive personality consistency due to situational consistencies • Learning view

  6. Mischel (1968) challenge • Primary criticisms • Little evidence of cross-situation consistency in behavior • Traits dependent on situational evocation • Traits poor predictors of behavior across situations (r < = .30) • Trait merely labels w/ no independent reality

  7. Controversy • Leads to near collapse of personality psychology • If traits aren’t real/stable/predictive what use are they? • No need for personality if behavior primarily due to situational features • Predict/understand behavioral variation via situation

  8. Field’s Response • Funder & Ozer (1983) • Reanalyzed studies showing situational influence on behavior • Situation had ~same predictive power as personality (r < = .30) • Power of situation = power of personality • Both rs < = .30

  9. Activity 13: Mischel • In groups of 3-4 • Describe the response to Mischel’s challenge made by Epstein. How does Mischel (re) challenge Epstein here? • Next describe at least 1 more response made by the field in defense of traits. • PLEASE TURN THESE IN AFTER CLASS!

  10. Kenrick & Funder: Fallout • PS debate led to numerous hypotheses regarding the relative importance of personality/situation • Many assumed that personality was an artifact, unreal and a weak predictor (empirically and conceptually) of behavior

  11. Kenrick & Funder: Hypotheses • H1: Personality is in eye of beholder • Interrater agreement fails to support • H4: Shared (incorrect) stereotypes account for rater agreement • Ratings predict independent behavioral manifestations (aggression, delay of gratification, social behavior)

  12. Kenrick & Funder: Hypotheses • H7: Effect of personality on behavior too small to be meaningful (.30) • Situational features share effect size (.30) • Small can be important & meaningful • Effect increases with aggregation

  13. Mischel’s Fallout • 1980s/90s reality/stability of traits revealed • Genetics, longitudinal, cross-cultural studies • Interactionism (nature & nurture): • Effect of personality depends on situation • Effects of situation depends on personality • Behavior = traits + situation + traits x situation • Greater external validity (Cattell: multivariate world)

  14. Lessons from PS Debate • Kenrick & Funder • Gray > black or white (closer to reality) • Limitations on behavioral prediction from personality and situation • Boundary conditions on personality ratings • Personality & Social Psych MUST work together

  15. Knowns • Person & situation important • Consistency varies across people • Situations vary in their power • Consistency varies as a function of both

  16. Unknowns • What person & situation Vs best? • Goals • Situational taxonomy

  17. Future: Integration? • Social-cognitive approach of Mischel • Trait approach of Costa & McCrae • Function & structure?

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