ABSTRACT
That behavior cannot be understood and explained per se but only in relation to the situational conditions under which it occurs and can be observed has been a general theme since the 1920s among psychologists interested in molar, social behavior. It has been explicitly stated from various perspectives by behaviorists, field theorists, personologists, trait psychologists, psychodynamists, and those arguing for an interactional approach to the study of human behavior (Allport, 1966; Barker, 1965; Cattell, 1963; Kantor, 1924, 1926; Lewin, 1951; Murphy, 1947; Murray, 1938; Sells, 1963; Stagner, 1976; Tolman, 1951; Wachtel, 1977). Sometimes it has been stated that trait theorists have neglected or at least underestimated the role of situational conditions for understanding and explaining behavior. Then it is particularly interesting to recognize the strong statement about the importance of considering the situational context by one of the most devoted trait theorists, namely Raymond B. Cattell (1963) when he wrote: “Lack of allowance for the situation is one of the main causes of misjudging personality [p. 27].” His attitude to this problem was also manifested in his formulation of the “specification” or “behavioral equation.”
