Abstract
Big questions of personality are those that are simple, important, and often have been asked repeatedly over time, such as “Who am I?” “What is human nature?” and “How does personality work?” This article identifies 20 big questions relevant to personality psychology. The historical background of each question is briefly described, and the questions are arranged into a model of big questions about personality. The questions, it is argued, both reflect and help to clarify the intrinsic interest in studying personality psychology. They offer insight into the cohesive nature of the field of personality by helping to define its common pursuits.
Department
Psychology
Publication Date
9-1-2007
Journal Title
Imagination, Cognition, and Personality
Publisher
Sage
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Mayer, J. D. (2007). The big questions of personality psychology: Defining common pursuits of the discipline. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 27, 3-26.