A System-Topics Framework for the Study of Personality

Organizational frameworks help communicate the knowledge of a given field so as to promote that field's research, education, and applications. This article develops one possible framework for the organization of personality psychology. The framework's rationale, based on General Systems Theory, is developed and its organization is described. This organization, which includes several topics each subdivided into multiple perspectives, is specifically intended to accommodate both the elements of specific theories in personality psychology (e.g., psychodynamic, humanistic), as well as contemporary research in the field both related and unrelated to those theories. Examples are provided of how the framework might be applied. Its potential strengths and weaknesses are evaluated.

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