Person - Environment Transaction - CHapter 2

Personality stability is an interplay between WHAT and your WHAT. Your personality shapes your WHAT, and that environment shapes your WHAT

Personality stability is an interplay between YOU and your CIRCUMSTANCES. Your personality shapes your ENVIRONMENT, and that environment shapes your PERSONALITY

What are the three types of person-environment transactions

• WHAT

• WHAT

• WHAT

What are the three types of person-environment transactions

• Active

• Reactive

• Evocative

Active

• Seek out environments consistent with your personality

Example:

• A risk-taker gravitates toward extreme sports; a bookish introvert gravitates toward libraries. You play a key role in constructing your own contex

Reactive

• You interpret the same objective situation differently becuase of your personality

Example:

• A crowded party feels energizing to a high extravert and exhausting to a high introvert — even if it's the exact same party

Evocative

• Your personality draws out particular responses from others - which then reinforce your traits

Example:

• A warm, agreeable person invites warmth back. A cold, aloof person invites distance back. Personality generates its own confirming social feedback.

What is ATSMA

What keeps personality stable and what changes it

WHO coined the acronym ASTMA to capture the core mechanisms

BRENT ROBERTS coined the acronym ASTMA to capture the core mechanisms

• ASMA produce WHAT

• T produce WHAT

• ASMA produce STABILITY

• T produce CHANGE

What does the ASTMA acronym stand for

• A = Attraction

• S = Selection

• T = Transformation

• M = Manipulation

• A = Attrition

Attraction

You are drawn to environments that fit your personality

Example:

• An outgoing person joins clubs and social groups - which then keep them outgoing

Selection

Gatekeepers choose you based on your personality

Example:

• Employers, admissions officers, and partners pick people whose traits fit what they need

Transformation

Exposure to different rewards, punishments and role demands changes your behaviour

Example:

• Military service, psychotherapy, or major life upheaval can produce lasting personality shifts

Manipulation

You actively reshape your environment to match your personality

Example:

• An extravert schedules more social time into the workday; an introvert finds ways to limit it.

Attrition

Poor fits leave - or are pushed out

Example:

• A disorganized employee won't last long at a highly conscientious company. → stability