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Toward a further understanding of the intuitive personologist: Some preliminary evidence for the dialectical quality of subjective personality impressions
Author(s) -
Lamiell James T.,
Foss Mark A.,
Trierweiler Steven J.,
Leffel G. Michael
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.082
H-Index - 144
eISSN - 1467-6494
pISSN - 0022-3506
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1983.tb00864.x
Subject(s) - dialectic , psychology , personality , quality (philosophy) , demonstrative , process (computing) , empirical evidence , cognitive psychology , social psychology , epistemology , computer science , philosophy , linguistics , operating system
Despite significant advances over the past three decades in our understanding of the implicit personality theorist, some important questions remain, particularly as regards the nature of the underlying reasoning process by which subjectively meaningful personality impressions are formulated and expressed. The present article seeks to address this issue, with particular attention being given to the distinction between demonstrative and dialectical reasoning. Preliminary empirical evidence is offered to suggest that, at least under certain conditions, lay persons formulate and express subjective personality impressions on the basis of a reasoning process that is essentially dialectical in nature. Some major implications of this point of view for the study of the intuitive personologist are discussed. The limitations of the evidence presented, and the need for further research are also noted.