TOWARDS A NEW AGENDA FOR WORK AND PERSONALITY - TRAITS, SELF-IDENTITY, STRONG INTERACTIONISM, AND CHANGE - INTRODUCTION

Personality concepts and measurements are showing a sustained revival of interest, and this paper aims to review some major current themes, as well as suggesting new directions for theory and research, consider ing in particular their relevance for work psychology. Historically th e field has developed along three themes: the search for universals in personality description and prediction; the search for perfectibility through concepts of learning and change and the search for interactio nist alternatives to steer a course between these positions. However, much so-called interactionism seems to occupy shifting ground, and a n eed for new ''strong'' interactionism is argued, which recognises the relative immutability and power of deep personality structures, as wel l as the importance of situational constraint. One way of reconceptual ising these relationships is by a clearer recognition of the different status and functioning of personality and self-identity constructs. T his also leads to some new ways of thinking about the key issues of pe rson-environment fit, such as the possible significance of ''determina nt'' vs. ''indeterminant'' personality types, and about individual dif ferences in propensity for stability and change in personality.