Situationism

Situationism is the view that behavior is strongly shaped by immediate circumstances rather than stable personality traits. In social psychology, it challenges explanations that treat personality as the main cause of action.

Fundamental attribution error: The tendency to overemphasize personal traits and underemphasize situational causes when explaining others’ behavior. It is the attribution bias situationists argue obscures the power of circumstances.
Stanford prison experiment: A 1971 study in which students assigned guard and prisoner roles in a simulated prison showed disturbing behavior and distress. It became a prominent demonstration of role-based explanations, though its methods and conclusions are disputed.
Trait theory: An approach to personality that explains behavior through relatively stable individual characteristics. It offers the clearest alternative to situationist explanations of conduct.
Hugh Hartshorne: An American psychologist who co-led a large study of children’s moral conduct across different situations. His research helped establish early evidence that conduct varied across contexts.
Social norms: Shared expectations that guide behavior within a group or society. Norms make local expectations powerful influences on conduct.
Milgram experiment: A series of experiments in which participants were instructed to administer apparent electric shocks to another person. The study tested how an authority situation could shape behavior that participants might otherwise reject.
Interactionism (personality psychology): The view that behavior emerges from interactions between personal traits and situational conditions. It reconciles situational influence with enduring differences between people.
Mark May: An American psychologist who co-led research on honesty and moral behavior in children during the 1920s and 1930s. The character education studies associated with May challenged assumptions of broad trait consistency.
Conformity: The adjustment of beliefs or behavior to match a group’s expectations or actions. Group pressure shows how behavior can shift without a change in stable personality.
Good Samaritan experiment: A field study by John Darley and Daniel Batson examining whether seminary students helped an apparent person in distress. Its findings connected helping behavior to situational pressures such as being in a hurry.

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