Caspi A
Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706.
Ciba Found Symp. 1991;156:209-19; discussion 219-23. doi: 10.1002/9780470514047.ch13.
It is now widely acknowledged that personality and behaviour are shaped in large measure by interactions between the person and the environment. There are many kinds of interaction but we suggest that three types play particularly important roles both in sustaining behavioural continuity across the life course and in guiding the trajectory of the life course itself. Reactive interaction occurs when different individuals exposed to the same environment experience it, interpret it and react to it differently. Evocative interaction occurs when an individual's personality evokes distinctive responses from others. Proactive interaction occurs when individuals select or create environments of their own. Within this framework we also examine systematic change and turning points in behavioural development. We have recently advanced a paradoxical theory suggesting that behavioural continuities are especially likely to be evident during periods of social discontinuity; that is, dispositional factors influence behaviour most when individuals enter new situations and assume new statuses. This model receives empirical support from both experimental and longitudinal-correlational research. The model also presents interesting implications for our understanding of turning points in behavioural development: to effect change in the life course, new situations must eliminate old options and create new opportunities. Convergent evidence from experimental and naturalistic designs is introduced to support this claim.
现在人们普遍认为，人格和行为在很大程度上是由人与环境之间的相互作用塑造的。相互作用有多种类型，但我们认为，其中三种类型在维持人生历程中的行为连续性以及引导人生历程本身的轨迹方面发挥着特别重要的作用。反应性相互作用发生在不同个体暴露于相同环境时，他们对该环境的体验、解读和反应各不相同。唤起性相互作用发生在个体的人格引发他人独特反应之时。主动性相互作用发生在个体选择或创造自己的环境之际。在此框架内，我们还研究行为发展中的系统变化和转折点。我们最近提出了一个看似矛盾的理论，即行为连续性在社会不连续时期尤其可能明显；也就是说，当个体进入新情况并承担新身份时，性格因素对行为的影响最大。该模型得到了实验研究和纵向相关研究的实证支持。该模型也为我们理解行为发展中的转折点提出了有趣的启示：要在人生历程中实现改变，新情况必须消除旧选择并创造新机会。文中引入了来自实验设计和自然主义设计的趋同证据来支持这一观点。
