PsychologyAugust 19, 2026

situationism

SICH-u-ay-shuh-niz-um

Definition

The psychological theory that behavior is primarily determined by environmental factors and the immediate context rather than by fixed personality traits.

Etymology

Derived from the Latin 'situs' meaning 'place' or 'position,' the term emerged in 20th-century social psychology to describe the perspective that situational cues exert more influence on behavior than internal dispositions.

In the news

The article uses this term to explain why people behave differently in various life roles, suggesting that our actions are often shaped by our current environment rather than a single, unified moral character.

Psychology says when people are hypocritical, they rarely think they’re better than everyone else—they’re just struggling with these 11 things that make their own standards hard to follow

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A Conscious Rethink

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