Exploring the Forces That Shape Our Lives
Personality & Identity Lab
Professor Sun W. Park
The Personality and Identity Lab is guided by a working hypothesis that identity is the fundamental force that enables individuals to protect themselves from challenging circumstances and to direct their lives in ways that align with their own values and goals. Based on this premise, the lab conducts a range of studies focused on identity and related psychological processes.
Personality
Personality refers to the constellation of psychological characteristics that individuals possess—those qualities that make a person who they are and distinguish them from others. Among the many psychological traits people have, the lab seeks to identify which ones play a particularly important role in shaping life outcomes.
Identity
Identity refers to the aspect of personality that answers the question of who one is—that is, the most central set of characteristics through which individuals define themselves. Identity is not about how others see a person, but rather about how individuals understand and define themselves.
