Owen is neurotic, distrustful, and a little bit paranoid. Wary would be an excellent word to describe his personality. According to the principles of reciprocal determinism, how will the environments Owen gravitates toward influence the behaviors he exhibits?
A) Owen is likely to seek secure environments (such as his locked bedroom), which in turn will reinforce his behaviors (avoiding interactions with others).
B) Owen is likely to seek emotionally neutral environments (such as a national park), which in turn will allow him to align his behaviors with his personality.
C) Owen is likely to seek uncertain environments (such as sprawling, crowded events) so he can sharpen his detection skills (noting malicious intent in others).
D) Owen is likely to seek uncontrolled environments (such as underground dance parties) so he can confirm his suspicious conclusions (that others are out to get him).

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to the principles of reciprocal determinism, Owen's personality traits will influence the environments he seeks out, and those environments will in turn reinforce his behaviors. Owen's neurotic and distrustful tendencies are likely to lead him to seek out environments that he perceives as secure or safe, such as his locked bedroom. By avoiding interactions with others in these environments, he reinforces his behaviors of mistrust and avoidance.

Owen Is Neurotic, Distrustful, and a Little Bit Paranoid