ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an eclectic and catholic approach to conceptualization of social structure, personality, and the relationship between them. It focuses on the relation of the more restricted conception of social structure to individual psychological attributes and behavior. The chapter explains to delineate those integrating theoretical and methodological principles and illustrates their application to a varied, but necessarily select, set of substantive phenomena. It reviews the development of social structure and personality as an area of study from its early sociological origins through the heyday of research on culture and personality or national character. The chapter traces the evolution of research and theory noted, focusing especially on the work of Alex Inkeles on modernization and modernity, and states three basic analytical principles and related methodological considerations that should guide and integrate and future work on social structure and personality. It explores the impact of macro-social phenomena on personality and behaviour and considers when and how personality may affect social structure.
