Intrapersonal and interpersonal dynamics in personality expression

The PhD dissertation titled Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Dynamics in Personality Expression: A Complex Dynamical, Enactive, and Embodied Account by Nicol Arellano-Véliz explores how personality and temperament are expressed through embodied interactions with the environment, for example, during conversations, when people self-reflect, or when babies interact with their caregiver, offering a new approach to understanding psychological constructs and human behavior. Grounded in psychology and complex systems science, the research shows that personality is inherently connected to the body, expressed through movement and speech patterns, both in social interactions and solitude.Findings reveal that personality traits are inherently connected to how people synchronize movements and speech, exhibiting a dynamic interplay between individuals and their environments. For example, extroverts and agreeable individuals tend to synchronize or be more attuned to others, enhancing social bonds and positive feelings. Neuroticism, or emotional instability, is expressed in fluctuating or unstable body motion patterns during self-reflection.This work extends to infancy, demonstrating that motor system complexity and stability relate to early temperament and maternal anxiety, underscoring the continuity of developmental processes across life stages. The study of temperament and motor system organization in infants parallels the investigation of personality and embodied dynamics in adults, reflecting a continuum in developmental processes.Ultimately, this dissertation reinforces that mental life goes beyond brain activity, encompassing the body and its interactions with the world. This perspective broadens the scope of personality research, mental health, and social behavior, presenting personality as an embodied, dynamic experience shaped by ongoing engagement with the environment.

Dissertation: https://hdl.handle.net/11370/a71390a1-6892-4ebe-91b0-b9344cd6fed7