Person–situation integration in research on personality problems

In this paper, we demonstrate how the common two-factorial ANOVA model can be used to address issues of personality and personality pathology. Therein, the persons are treated as one factor and the situations are treated as another factor. Common research questions regarding personality problems may be phrased in terms of so-called person- and situation-typicalities. We present an agenda for future research on personality problems, arguing that relevant domains of functioning, performance expectations, and outcomes should be distinguished from each other more clearly. We also discuss the strengths and weaknesses of various assessment methods, and argue that behavioral observations in standardized interaction situations provide the most promising approach for assessing personality problems in the domain of interpersonal behaviors.