Animation-Accommodation-Authorization theory of the human personality

It is posited that there are three essential elements associated with human nature and the human personality: Animation, Accommodation, and Authorizat ion (A(3)). These broadly construed elements are defined, and then it is sh own how they underlie the ways humans cognitively and emotionally engage th eir world. This explication is made possible by calling on a novel construc tion, called a "trialogue", that formally relates attributes of cognitive e ngagement (termed intellect) and attributes of emotional engagement to the three essential elements. The trialogue construction constrains the interre lationships among attributes and essential elements, enabling the internal validity of the theory to be tested. A preliminary study with 174 participa nts investigated the question of internal validity and found convincing evi dence to support the basic premise of the model. The structural complementa rities of intellect and emotional engagement may provide a better understan ding not only of personality but also of some institutions (e.g., education al). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.