Rick Froman wrote:
I think the statement of Harris as quoted below is basically a truism that almost no one disputes. That a person's personality is largely developed from an innate temperament with relatively little environmental influence is almost inherent in the definition of personality as a cross-situational set of stable traits. No parent of more than one child argues the point that children come into the world with a temperament different from their siblings. The controversial part is not alluded to in that sentence: the belief that personality is not mainly innate but shaped by peers. I think the statement fits best with the radical behaviorist statement that there is no such thing as personality, only responses to various situations we find ourselves in based on the consequences of previous responses made in such situations. So either the statement is a truism or it doesn't correctly use the word "personality". Further explication reveals that Harris' use of the word "personality"
in the above sentence is idiosyncratic. She basically argues that a person's responses are situation-specific: the responses made among their peers are different from the responses made in the home. It is not as if responses made among peers become part of a personality that will influence their interactions with their parents as would be suggested by the term "personality". It is simply that responses made in peer situations are due to the situation and not to any long-lasting stable traits.
Harris (1995, p. 463) defines personality as consisting of two components: a genetic component that accompanies the individual where ever she goes and an environmental component that is context specific. She then throws in the Mischel point that stability in personality effects may also be due to stability of situations.
Rick: I think she would attribute the context specificity idea more to James than Skinner but there is a lots of James in Skinner.
Maybe the similarity of James and Skinner is due to something in the Charles? (Or in the other Charles [D]?)
Ken --------------------------------------------------------------- Kenneth M. Steele, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Department of Psychology http://www.psych.appstate.edu Appalachian State University Boone, NC 28608 USA --------------------------------------------------------------- --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
