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Chapter 1 Introduction to Personality Psychology Chapter Overview This chapter provides students with a brief overview and introduction to the field of personality psychology. The authors present a definition of personality as ―the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are organized and relatively enduring and that influence their interactions with, and adaptations to, the intrapsychic, physical, and social environments.‖ Each aspect of this definition is examined in detail. The authors introduce three key levels of analysis in personality psychology: human nature, individual and group differences, and individual uniqueness. Next, the authors discuss the presence of a fissure in the field of personality psychology; it is the gap between the human nature level of analysis and the analysis of individual and group differences. The authors suggest that focusing on several domains of knowledge about personality can bridge this fissure. These domains of knowledge are the dispositional domain, the biological domain, the intrapsychic domain, the cognitive-experiential domain, the social and cultural domain, and the adjustment domain. Each of these domains of knowledge is discussed in the text. The authors end with a discussion of the key features of a scientific theory and address how scientific theories differ from unsubstantiated beliefs, such as the belief in astrology. Learning Objectives 1. Define personality and understand the di
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