ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I consider a number of issues of longstanding concern to the field of personality as well as to me personally. In their broadest terms, the issues involve fundamental conceptualizations of personality. Therefore, at the outset, let me state my own definition of the field and what I see as the major task that lies ahead. Concerning definition, two definitions of the field of personality have been common, the first emphasizing individual differences and the second, the organization of the parts into a dynamically functioning whole (Pervin & John, 1997). My own view of personality is of the latter type, defining personality as the study of how the various parts of the person interact to form a dynamic system. Of course, there are individual differences and the study of such differences is recognized as an important area of inquiry. However, I am suggesting that what is distinctive about the field of personality is its emphasis on the more or less integrated functioning of a dynamic system.
