ABSTRACT
Interactionist psychology refers generically to a research paradigm that seeks to simultaneously model the behavioral consequences of individual characteristics (e.g., traits) and situational characteristics. Lewin’s (1936) proposition, Behavior = f(Person, Environment), is classic shorthand for this type of research. Many applied psychologists today assume behavior is a function of individuals (P) and their environments (E), or more specifically, their immediate situation (S). For example, research on the attraction-selection-attrition model, person-environment fit, leader-member relationships, organizational identification, and climate strength are all based on a premise that behavior is affected by the joint relationship between the person and the situation.
