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This articlepresents a social-cognitive theory ofpersonality assessment. We articulate the implications ofsocial-cognitive theories ofpersonalityfor the question ofwhat constitutes an assessment ofpersonality structure and behavioral dispositions. The theory consists of 5 social-cognitive principles of assessment. Personality assessments should (a) distinguish the task ofassessing internal personality structures and dynamicsfrom that ofassessing overt behavioral tendencies, (b) attend to personality systems thatfunction as personal determinants of action, (c) treat measures of separate psychological and physiological systems as conceptually distinct, (d) employ assessments that are sensitive to the unique qualities ofthe individual, and (e) assess persons in context. Theseprinciples are illustrated through a review ofrecent research. Social-cognitive theory is distinguished from an alternative theory ofpersonality structure and assessment, 5-factor theory, by articulating the strategies ofscientific explanation, conceptions ofpersonality structure and dispositions, and the assessment practices that differentiate the approaches.

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