《心理学(Psychology)-《人性与文化：基于个人品质的观点》》.pdfVIP

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PERSONALITY Journal of Research in Personality 38 (2004) 3–14 /locate/jrp Human nature and culture: A trait perspective Robert R. McCrae* Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Aging, NIH, 5600 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224-6825, USA Abstract The relation of the individual to society has always been a central concern of personality psychologists. Building on recent empirical and conceptual advances in trait psychology, I propose a new approach to personality and culture. The fact that trait structure, age and gen- der differences, and cross-observer agreement are all universal supports the view that traits are biologically based characteristics of the human species. After discussing ethical and scientific issues, I provide preliminary data consistent with the view that aggregate levels of traits may lead to features of cultures, such as Individualism/Collectivism. I discuss alternative interpre- tations and future directions for research and conclude that the trait perspective holds excep- tional promise for understanding human nature and culture. Published by Elsevier Inc. 1. Introduction The interaction—the intersection—of the individual with society has always been a core concern of personality psychologists. In the first half of the 20th Century, an- thropologists like Ruth Benedict, Ralph Linton, and Clyde Kluckhohn pursued the study of culture and personality, with fascinating if dubious results. Sadly, anthro- pologists abandoned the