Debates- Individual/Situational Flashcards
Individual Explanations
Someone’s behaviour is as a result of their personality
Situational Explanations
Someone’s behaviour is as a result of the circumstances they’re in
Strengths of claiming the behaviour can be explained in an individual way
It is supported by evidence of individual differences between people
Could be useful (for example placing people in jobs or even romantic relationships)
It means people can be held to account for how they behave
Weaknesses claiming that behaviour can be explained in an individual way
It makes it difficult to predict (for control) how people will behave in a given situation
it makes generalization difficult
Strengths of claiming that behaviour can be explained in a situational way
It is supported by evidence of people being influenced situations in the same way
Useful- it suggests we can change behaviour by altering the situations that create it
Weaknesses of claiming that behaviour can be claimed in the situational way
It could be used as an excuse to explain away bad behavior (.i.e. it wasn’t me; it was situation that made me do it)
It underplays individual differences in response
