Social structure and personality

Jason Schnittker

pp. 89-115

in: Amanda Ward (ed), Handbook of social psychology, Berlin, Springer, 2013

Abstract

Social structure and personality has a long tradition in sociology, but has been eclipsed in recent years by an increasingly structural approach to inequality and skepticism surrounding the role of culture in motivation. This chapter reviews the history and future of the social structure and personality framework, arguing that the framework is increasingly relevant as sociologists attempt to understand the psychological determinants of behavior and struggle with the role of culture in inequality. The framework provides sociologists with the tools to develop a psychologically realistic view of the actor and to recognize reciprocal influences between the person and the situation. The framework also empowers psychological influences in a way that is consistent with the evidence but still underappreciated. The appeal of the framework to generalist sociologists should be even greater now than it was in the past.