Dynamics of personality: The Zurich model of motivation revived, extended, and applied to personality

Abstract

Personality researchers are increasingly interested in the dynamics of personality, that is, the proximal causal mechanisms underlying personality and behavior. Here, we review the Zurich Model of Social Motivation concerning its potential to explain central aspects of personality. It is a cybernetic model that provides a nomothetic structure of the causal relationships among needs for security, arousal, and power, and uses them to explain an individual's approach‐avoidance or “proximity‐distance” behavior. We review core features of the model and extend them by adding features based on recent behavioral and neuroscientific evidence. We close by discussing the model considering contemporary issues in personality science such as the dynamics of personality, five‐factor personality traits and states, and personality growth.

Personal growth and motto goals: Strengthening emotion regulation ability via affirmatory metaphors coaching

“…Within interventions, discrepancy awareness, resource activation, awareness of beliefs/motives, and practicing new behaviours are relevant factors for personality growth 1 1 We refer to ‘personality growth’ as adaptive changes in personality traits. ‘These adaptations might encompass the integration of negative experiences as well as improvements in needs and goal attainment, which are typically considered as a basis for enhancements in happiness’ ( Quirin et al, 2023 ). ( Stieger et al, 2021 ).…”

Personality dynamics: Regulatory mechanisms and processes

“…Another theme of this special issue, based on the motivational dimension of personality, is whether set points or settling point models are more valid in explaining personality dynamics. Two theoretical articles by Read and Miller (2023) and Quirin et al (2023) broadly engage with this issue by comprehensively exploring the evidence for set points or settling point models, respectively.…”

“…They show how behavioral regulation can operate through a process of interactive forces and predictive models without the use of goal-corrected mechanisms. Quirin et al (2023) propose a setpoint model of social motivation in the context of personality research. They note that personality researchers are increasingly interested in the dynamics of personality (Jayawickreme et al, 2021;Quirin et al, 2020).…”

“…Quirin et al (2023) propose a setpoint model of social motivation in the context of personality research. They note that personality researchers are increasingly interested in the dynamics of personality (Jayawickreme et al, 2021; Quirin et al, 2020).…”

“…This special issue of the Journal of Personality was designed to advance the field of personality dynamics in this respect. Eleven articles have been brought together: eight theoretical (Dunlop et al, 2023; Fajkowska, 2023; Nowak et al, 2023; Quirin et al, 2023; Read & Miller, 2023; Rogers et al, 2023; Skimina et al, 2023; Wilt & Revelle, 2023) and three empirical (Di Sarno et al, 2023; Hudson, 2023; Kersten et al, 2023). We here outline four topics and elaborate on how these articles contribute to them: Personality dynamics and levels of regulation Personality dynamics and the motivational dimension of regulation Dynamics and regulatory potentials of structural personality components Personality dynamics and timescales …”