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Toward an integrative personality psychology

Nilsson, Artur LU (2013) 13th FEPSAC European Congress of Sport Psychology
Abstract
Previous attempts to construct an integrative framework for personality psychology are primarily descriptions of what

the field looks like today rather than analyses of its logical structure and research possibilities. I aim to draw attention

to logically important points that may help to integrate the field and suggest potentially fruitful research paths that

are unrealized due to historical contingency. My point of departure is that the crucial defining feature of personality

psychology is that it studies human beings not just as mechanical systems, but also as rational agents, whose

experiences and actions are imbued with intentionality and meaning. I argue that it follows if we take... (More)
Previous attempts to construct an integrative framework for personality psychology are primarily descriptions of what

the field looks like today rather than analyses of its logical structure and research possibilities. I aim to draw attention

to logically important points that may help to integrate the field and suggest potentially fruitful research paths that

are unrealized due to historical contingency. My point of departure is that the crucial defining feature of personality

psychology is that it studies human beings not just as mechanical systems, but also as rational agents, whose

experiences and actions are imbued with intentionality and meaning. I argue that it follows if we take this core feature

of personality seriously that the study of personality consists of two equally basic and mutually irreducible projects:

the study of traits, defined as objective patterns of behavior, and the study of worldviews, defined as subjective

sources of meaning. I argue that worldviews are, contrary to popular belief, not inherently less universal, or in other

ways less basic, than traits, and that both traits and worldviews can, and should, be studied across universalistic,

historic- cultural, and individual- centered levels of analysis. I conclude by emphasizing the need for a systematic study

of worldviews, and systematic integration across the trait- worldview divide and the nomothetic- idiothetic divide, for

the development of richer and more unified portraits of personalities. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
unpublished
subject
keywords
personality, trait, worldview, integration, framework, philosophy
conference name
13th FEPSAC European Congress of Sport Psychology
conference location
Madeira, Portugal
conference dates
2011-07-12 - 2011-07-17
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
f2c1bec1-88cd-496b-87ea-841c8bd9b0ad (old id 4022160)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 14:12:25
date last changed
2018-11-21 21:18:55
@misc{f2c1bec1-88cd-496b-87ea-841c8bd9b0ad,
  abstract     = {{Previous attempts to construct an integrative framework for personality psychology are primarily descriptions of what <br/><br>
the field looks like today rather than analyses of its logical structure and research possibilities. I aim to draw attention <br/><br>
to logically important points that may help to integrate the field and suggest potentially fruitful research paths that <br/><br>
are unrealized due to historical contingency. My point of departure is that the crucial defining feature of personality <br/><br>
psychology is that it studies human beings not just as mechanical systems, but also as rational agents, whose <br/><br>
experiences and actions are imbued with intentionality and meaning. I argue that it follows if we take this core feature <br/><br>
of personality seriously that the study of personality consists of two equally basic and mutually irreducible projects: <br/><br>
the study of traits, defined as objective patterns of behavior, and the study of worldviews, defined as subjective <br/><br>
sources of meaning. I argue that worldviews are, contrary to popular belief, not inherently less universal, or in other <br/><br>
ways less basic, than traits, and that both traits and worldviews can, and should, be studied across universalistic, <br/><br>
historic- cultural, and individual- centered levels of analysis. I conclude by emphasizing the need for a systematic study <br/><br>
of worldviews, and systematic integration across the trait- worldview divide and the nomothetic- idiothetic divide, for <br/><br>
the development of richer and more unified portraits of personalities.}},
  author       = {{Nilsson, Artur}},
  keywords     = {{personality; trait; worldview; integration; framework; philosophy}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{Toward an integrative personality psychology}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/6305786/4022161.pptx}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}