150 A Psychological Behaviorism Theory of Personality
Figure 6.1example, a person with a trait of religiosity will display coin-
cident knowledge (language) of religious material, will expe-
rience religious situations with positive emotion and be
motivated by such situations, as well as exhibit the special-
ized ritualistic behaviors of the religion.
The Principles of the Personality Theory
Figure 6.1 schematizes and makes more explicit the concepts
and principles of the PB theory of personality. Personality is
composed of the individual’s basic behavioral repertoires. As
a consequence of previous learning, depicted as S 1 , the indi-
vidual learns BBRs. At a later time the individual is confronted
with an environmental situation, S 2 , which elicits (samples)
elements from the individual’s BBRs. Those elements make
up the individual’s behavior (B) in that situation. Personality
does not equate with the individual’s behavior. For example,
many individuals learn words that are never uttered. So the in-
dividual’s language-cognitive BBR can never be ascertained
from observing behavior; the individual’s potential for behav-
ior is greater than that which is exhibited.
Traditional behaviorism never established how biology
works its effects in the explanation of behavior. In contrast, in
PB’s personality theory the individual’s biological character
plays an important role at different times. First, the learning
of the basic behavioral repertoires takes place by virtue of the
brain and peripheral nervous system, muscles, tendons, emo-
tional response organs, and such. The organic state at the time
of learning is thus an important independent variable. This
includes permanent biological conditions such as brain dam-
age as well as ephemeral biological conditions such as those
of deprivation-satiation, illness, and drug and alcohol effects.
These biological conditions that are influential at the time of
learning the BBRs are designated as O 1.
In addition, however, at the time the individual experi-
ences a later situation certain biological conditions, O 2 , are
operating in ways that affect the state of the individual’s
BBRs. For the BBRs to be operative they have to be retained
(remembered). Any temporary conditions, such as drugs or a
fever, that effect the brain mechanisms that house the BBRs
will be important, as will more permanent conditions such as
brain damage that has deleted BBRs in whole or part. In ad-
dition, the biological mechanism plays a third role. Even
though the individual has retained the BBRs, other biological
conditions, O 3 , may affect the ability of S 2 , the later situation,
to elicit them. For example, the individual’s sensory systems
may be affected by drugs or other organic conditions that
limit or distort the sensory responses, as occurs with a person
who because of poor hearing cannot respond emotionally to a
touching dialogue in a movie.
In this theoretical conception environmental conditions
play two roles in the determination of the individual’s behav-
ior. Separating these environmental events enables a more
explicit consideration of both environmental and biological
effects on personality and behavior. In both of these ways the
definition of personality becomes more explicit. Several ad-
ditional specifications can be added.Plasticity and Continuity in PersonalityThere has been an issue of whether individuals behave the
same across time and situations or whether their behavior is
situationally determined. Watson’s behaviorism raised the
issue, which was argued to a stalemate in his era. Mischel’s
1968 book revivified the contest by arguing for the situational
determinism position and against the conception that the in-
dividual has a personality that acts across situations. A num-
ber of pro and con works were then published until, as
generally happens in such issues, interest for the moment was
exhausted. A deeper analysis can be made, however, that can
resolve the issue.
To begin, Figure 6.1 has various implications. Behavior is
certainly situational, for the situation does indeed play an im-
portant role in selecting the elements of behavior displayed in
that situation. For example, people generally act boisterously
at a football game or wrestling match and sedately in a place
of worship, a library, or a museum.
But there is generality to personality also. A particular BBR
over time can be relevant to various situations, and the indi-
vidual’s behavior can thereby show characteristic features
across those situations. For example, a person with a large
repertoire of skilled singing behaviors will have learned a
repertoire whose elements are called out in many later envi-
ronmental situations. Compared to others the individual will
sing more generally and more skillfully than others lacking
that repertoire. Clearly that will be a characteristic, general,
and stable feature of the individual’s behavior, considered to
reflect a personality trait.
Personality typically produces stability over time and sit-
uations. For example, a person who has learned positive val-
ues (emotion) to positions on the conservative side of many