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"Little, Brian R"
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Me, myself, and us : the science of personality and the art of well-being
\"In the past few decades, personality psychology has made considerable progress in raising new questions about human nature-and providing some provocative answers. New scientific research has transformed old ideas about personality based on the theories of Freud, Jung, and the humanistic psychologies of the nineteen sixties, which gave rise to the simplistic categorizations of the Meyer-Briggs Inventory and the 'enneagream'. But the general public still knows little about the new science and what it reveals about who we are. In Me, Myself, and Us, Brian Little, one of the psychologists who helped re-shape the field, provides the first in-depth exploration of the new personality science and its provocative findings for general readers. The book explores questions that are rooted in the origins of human consciousness but are as commonplace as yesterday's breakfast conversation. Are our first impressions of other people's personalities usually fallacious? Are creative individuals essentially maladjusted? Are our personality traits, as William James put it \"set like plaster\" by the age of thirty? Is a belief that we are in control of our lives an unmitigated good? Do our singular personalities comprise one unified self or a confederacy of selves, and if the latter, which of our mini-me-s do we offer up in marriage or mergers? Are some individuals genetically hard-wired for happiness? Which is the more viable path toward human flourishing, the pursuit of happiness or the happiness of pursuit? Little provides a resource for answering such questions, and a framework through which readers can explore the personal implications of the new science of personality. Questionnaires and interactive assessments throughout the book facilitate self-exploration, and clarify some of the stranger aspects of our own conduct and that of others. Brian Little helps us see ourselves, and other selves, as somewhat less perplexing and definitely more intriguing. This is not a self-help book, but students at Harvard who took the lecture course on which it is based claim that it changed their lives. \"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
How Are You Doing, Really? Personal Project Pursuit and Human Flourishing
What is the nature of human flourishing? I selectively review a 4-decade research program on how flourishing comprises the sustainable pursuit of core personal projects in our lives. Personal projects are extended sets of personally salient action in context. They are the pivotal concepts in a social ecological model in which stable and dynamic features of both persons and contexts are consequential for the quality of lives. By focusing on personal projects, we uncover the nature of well-doing, or felicitous action. Among the factors that promote well-doing are engaging in project pursuits that are meaningful, manageable, connected with others and which generate positive, relative to negative affect. Particular attention is given to core projects, the pursuit of which makes life worth living.
Public Significance Statement
There are few questions more vital to the public interest than understanding the factors that promote human flourishing. This article provides a review of a perspective on flourishing that explores its diverse sources. It concludes that the personal projects we pursue in our daily lives are critical to understanding the quality of lives. By exploring the content, appraisal, dynamics, and impact of personal project pursuit, we are able to explain and enhance well-doing, which lies at the core of flourishing.
Quelle est la nature de l'épanouissement humain? J'examine de façon sélective un programme de recherche s'étalant sur quatre décennies sur la façon dont l'épanouissement passe par la poursuite durable de projets personnels essentiels dans notre vie. Les projets personnels sont des ensembles étendus d'actions personnelles saillantes dans leur contexte. Ce sont les concepts essentiels d'un modèle écologique social dans lequel les caractéristiques stables et dynamiques des personnes et des contextes ont des conséquences sur la qualité de vie. En mettant l'accent sur les projets personnels, nous découvrons la nature de bonnes actions ou d'actions heureuses. Parmi les facteurs qui favorisent les bonnes actions, on retrouve des occasions de projet significatives, gérables, liées aux autres et qui génèrent un effet positif contrairement à un effet négatif. Une attention particulière est accordée aux projets essentiels, dont la poursuite rend la vie digne d'être vécue.
Journal Article
Who are you, really? : the surprising puzzle of personality
\"Traditionally, scientists have emphasized what they call the first and second natures of personality--genes and culture, respectively. But today the field of personality science has moved well beyond the nature vs. nurture debate. In Who Are You, Really? Dr. Brian Little presents a distinctive view of how personality shapes our lives--and why this matters. Little makes the case for a third nature to the human condition--the pursuit of personal projects, idealistic dreams, and creative ventures that shape both people's lives and their personalities. Little uncovers what personality science has been discovering about the role of personal projects, revealing how this new concept can help people better understand themselves and shape their lives\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Me, Myself, and Us
In the past few decades, personality psychology has made considerable progress in raising new questions about human natureand providing some provocative answers. New scientific research has transformed old ideas about personality based on the theories of Freud, Jung, and the humanistic psychologies of the nineteen sixties, which gave rise to the simplistic categorizations of the Meyer-Briggs Inventory and the 'enneagream'. But the general public still knows little about the new science and what it reveals about who we are. In this book, Brian Little, one of the psychologists who helped re-shape the field, provides the first in-depth exploration of the new personality science and its provocative findings for general readers. The book explores questions that are rooted in the origins of human consciousness but are as commonplace as yesterday's breakfast conversation. Are our first impressions of other people's personalities usually fallacious? Are creative individuals essentially maladjusted? Are our personality traits, as William James put it set like plaster\" by the age of thirty? Is a belief that we are in control of our lives an unmitigated good? Do our singular personalities comprise one unified self or a confederacy of selves, and if the latter, which of our mini-me-s do we offer up in marriage or mergers? Are some individuals genetically hard-wired for happiness? Which is the more viable path toward human flourishing, the pursuit of happiness or the happiness of pursuit? Little provides a resource for answering such questions, and a framework through which readers can explore the personal implications of the new science of personality. Questionnaires and interactive assessments throughout the book facilitate self-exploration, and clarify some of the stranger aspects of our own conduct and that of others. Brian Little helps us see
ourselves, and other selves, as somewhat less perplexing and definitely more intriguing. This is not a self-help book, but students at Harvard who took the lecture course on which it is based claim that it changed their lives.
eBook
Dimensional Specificity in the Prediction of Subjective Well-Being: Personal Projects in Pursuit of the PhD
Research on personal goals in relation to subjective well-being (SWB) typically involves appraisals of these goals on a number of appraisal dimensions. In this study, we examined how dimensional specificity affects predictions of SWB. Two studies were conducted. In the first, 19 doctoral candidates were interviewed with respect to their personal projects. Using a grounded-theory approach to the interview transcripts, 11 context-specific dimensions were identified: time pressure, time conflict, procrastination, anxiety, guilt, financial stress, uncertainty, social support, passion, commitment and positive effects on mood. These dimensions were then used in a second study of 81 doctoral students who completed a questionnaire package including: Personal Projects Analysis (PPA), the NEO Personality Inventory, and SWB measures. Regression analyses revealed that the context-specific PPA dimensions identified in Study 1 accounted for unique variance in perceptions of life satisfaction and provided a more detailed perspective on doctoral students' stress and coping resources. The results of the two studies are discussed in terms of the Personal Action Constructs now being used in studies of the conative aspects of well-being.
Journal Article
Personal Projects
The personal project is proposed as a new unit of analysis for the study of personality in its social, physical and temporal context. A sequential model of personal projects is proposed in which the major stages of project inception, planning, action, and termination are described in detail and related to dimensions of individual differences. A new methodology for assessing personal project content and structure is introduced, including techniques for assessing interproject impact and linkages with values and actions. The relevance of a projectanalytic approach to recent issues in environmental psychology is discussed. It is proposed that personal projects methodology might serve as a coupling device between the fields of personality and environmental psychology.
Journal Article
