An idiographic approach to understanding personality structure and individual differences among smokers

We present a social-cognitive theory which requires and idiographic assessm ent of individual differences in personality structure among smokers of 15 regular smokers completed idiographic assessment procedures designed to tap into three cognitive structures (smoker self-schema, abstainer ideal-possi ble self, abstainer ought-possible self) which are proposed to regulate ind ividual differences in smoking behaviour, coping behaviour, and finally smo king cessation. Support for the idiographic approach was found. The three c ognitive structures were distinguishable from one another, and had properti es that self-schema are proposed to hold, an intraindividual patterns of sc hematic responding across situations were stable and predictable phenomena. These findings are not consistent with a nomothetic trait approach. We dis cuss the implications of these results for individual-differences assessmen t among smokers and suggest avenues for future research.