The System-Topics Framework and the structural arrangement of systems within and around personality
Abstract
The field of personality psychology possesses rich theories and excellent research, but few good means to communicate them. The system‐topics framework is an integratory approach that divides the study of personality into three central topics and their subdivisions: (a) the components of personality, (b) the organization of those components, and (c) the development of those components and their organization over time. The present article describes the system‐topics framework and then examines the addition of a potential new topic useful to an improved exposition of the field: the structural arrangement of the component systems in and around personality. A three‐dimensional model of these systems is created that can synthesize the many spatial metaphors used in earlier personality theory and research. The reasons for integrating this structural model within the system‐topics framework and how such integration can be accomplished are discussed.
Department
Psychology
Publication Date
9-1-1995
Journal Title
Journal of Personality
Publisher
Wiley
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Mayer, J. D. (1995). The System-Topics Framework and the structural arrangement of systems within and around personality. Journal of Personality, 63, 459-493.