Draft:Whole Trait Theory


Whole Trait Theory expands upon traditional personality theories by integrating social-cognitive processes like goals, motivations, and interpretations to explain how traits manifest dynamically in behavior. Whole Trait Theory argues that traits are not static dispositions, but emerge instead from distributions of behavior states that vary based on internal cognitive processes and external contextual factors.[1][2] Proposed by William Fleeson and Eranda Jayawickreme, Whole Trait Theory posits that personality traits are are underpinned by dynamic psychological processes characterized by situational variability and emergent patterns of behavior.[3] By conceptualizing traits as density distributions of states, Whole Trait Theory transcends traditional models to account for both the stability of personality and the contextual variability of behavior.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ Fleeson, W. (2001). Toward a structure- and process-integrated view of personality: Traits as density distributions of states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(6), 1011–1027.
  2. ^ a b Fleeson, W., & Jayawickreme, E. (2015). Whole Trait Theory. Journal of Research in Personality, 56, 82–92.
  3. ^ a b Fleeson, W., & Jayawickreme, E. (2021). Whole trait theory puts dynamics at the core of structure. In The handbook of personality dynamics and processes (pp. 579-599). Academic Press.
  4. ^ Fleeson, W., & Jayawickreme, E. (2021). Whole trait theory puts dynamics at the core of structure. In The handbook of personality dynamics and processes (pp. 579-599). Academic Press.