ABSTRACT
The chapter first reviews recent findings determining the extent to which individuals act differently or similarly across occasions (Epstein, 1979; Fleeson, 2001; Mischel, 1968), describes a new approach to incorporate intraindividual variability into the model of personality (Fleeson, 2001), and discusses three important implications of these findings. First, these findings have engendered a new view of personality as a flexible resource that supports adaptation to the moment but resiliently returns to its general contours. Second, they help bring an end to the person-situation debate, allowing personality psychology to move forward (Epstein, 1994;
Fleeson, 2004a; Funder, 2001; Mischel &Shoda, 1995). Finally, these findings open up new questions in personality about the causes of, consequences of, and individual differences in intraindividual variability.
