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Can Biology Help Personality?

Commentary on the chapter by D.T. Kenrick

  • Chapter
Foundations of Personality

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASID,volume 72))

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Abstract

In the present context, disciplines like biology and subdisciplines like social psychology are auxiliary sciences. The psychology of personality has outgrown the stage in which traits were a dependent variable to be explained as an artifact of social perception, or to be reduced to biological differences. Upon considering personality as a topic in its own right, instead of an epiphenomenon, the question is what other disciplines can contribute to the study of personality. With respect to evolutionism, I shall defend the position that its contribution can be modest at best. In the process, I shall clarify the conception of personality psychology that underlies my argument.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Willem K. B. Hofstee

Authors
  1. Willem K. B. Hofstee
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Tilburg University, The Netherlands

    Joop Hettema

  2. University of Edinburgh, UK

    Ian J. Deary

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© 1993 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Hofstee, W.K.B. (1993). Can Biology Help Personality?. In: Hettema, J., Deary, I.J. (eds) Foundations of Personality. NATO ASI Series, vol 72. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1660-2_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1660-2_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4725-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1660-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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