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Juxtaposed Scripts, Traits, and the Dynamics of Personality
Author(s) -
Thorne Avrll
Publication year - 1995
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.1467-6494.1995.tb00507.x
Subject(s) - scripting language , psychology , extraversion and introversion , personality , interpersonal communication , big five personality traits , trait , dynamics (music) , narrative , dialectic , trait theory , social psychology , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , epistemology , computer science , linguistics , pedagogy , philosophy , programming language , operating system
Although personality is theoretically composed of multiple facets that function in lively interrelatedness, the interplay among these multiplicities has mostly been missed by research that focuses on traits as the primary unit of personality. The juxtaposition of contrary interpersonal scripts is a promising way to capture dynamic processes of personality. A case study is used to illustrate the dynamic interplay between sociotropic (extraverted) and avoidant scripts. Whereas standard trait measures do not reveal how extraversion and avoidance co‐relate in everyday experience, the dynamics are revealed by study of interpersonal scripts in narratives of memorable encounters. Similarities between the present approach and recent dialectical approaches to the self‐concept are discussed (Hermans & Kempen, 1993). Such approaches, particularly when articulated so as to interface with more generalized units of personality, can be highly useful for advancing understanding of personality dynamics.