Character Counts

After reading the email sent by JMc, I became slightly more confused. I understand situationism to be interpreting one's character by certain circumstances and situations that he or she may be involved in. What I did not understand is if he is supporting this claim or not. Throughout the chapters, he quite frequently mentions several psychological experiments which alter a person's behavior. From the email, it said he did not support situationism, however the studies clearly show that a person can change due to a situation. Although, perhaps he is stating that situationism can be deceptive for everyone is likely to deviate from natural habits in extreme situations. We can discuss my concerns in class.

Getting into the "nitty gritty" of the piece, I personally enjoy researching the Milgram experiment. I distinctly remember studying this experiment in high school and it really sparked my interest. However, my first inclination from the lecture given in my high school psych class was that this had to do with obeying those who serve as authority to you. Although this may be a factor, the author made it clear that this was not the issue being portrayed; it dealt more with situationism. I can agree with this as well, but it still intrigues me how so many people would be obedient under such drastic measures. It is difficult to place my self in their situation because knowing the circumstances, I would plead disobedient, but there is no way of knowing for sure. Does this mean that situations do affect my behavior/character? I would take that as a yes, for I know that I do not display the same traits in every situation. Perhaps, this is what he is trying to express.