Abstract
Personality psychology and socioecological research are kindred spirits in their investigation of person-environment transactions at different levels of analysis. In the present article, we provide an overview of empirical findings that substantiate the links between personality variation and (social) environment structures at both macro and individual levels of analysis. In doing so, we are particularly concerned about the role of geographical mobility; thus, we explore the conditions that bring it into effect as a moderator or mediator of person-environment associations. We complement our theoretical considerations with an empirical example from our research project PEDES—Personality Development of Sojourners to show that, indeed, personality traits determine individuals’ proximal social environments through both direct effects and indirect processes of self-selection in geographical mobility experiences. We conclude with reflections on future study objectives that capitalize on the integration of macro-level and individual-level perspectives in person-environment research.
