Present Status and Future Perspectives for Personality and Family Assessment

Abstract

The personal and the social intertwine inextricably. In a 2011 paper published in the European Journal of Personality, a group of psychological scientists note that when we talk about an individual’s personality, part of what we are talking about is how that individual interacts with others. Furthermore, the scientists write, “social relationships would not be such a challenging part of our lives if all people were equal in how they act, think, and feel”—that is, if all people were equal in their personalities (p. 90). Over time, social experiences play an important role in shaping personality, and personality shapes social experiences too.