Chapter 4 - Personality and the Power of Context

Summary

The causal-reductionist approach of traditional psychology has resulted in the focus being only on System M (Micro) personality, which assumes intrapersonal characteristics to be the source of consisteancies in behavior. But there is an almost complete neglect of System E (Extended) personality, which sees contextual macro factors and particularly social class as a strong source of consistancy in behavior. Almost all of the data for personality assessment intruments in mainstream psychology are derived from expressed attitudes, not actual behaviors. This data has been used to argue that there are certain universal traits underlying personality; the number of these traits has changed over time, but the latest trend is to argue that there are five universal traits. On the one hand, the number and nature of traits is a reflection of the research methods and instruments used. On the other hand, the explanation of behavior as shaped by intra-personal personality traits derives from the causal-reductionist nature of mainsteram psychology, with social class and poverty neglected.