In September 2007 a group of young European researchers who had met repeatedly at conferences realized that they were all fascinated by the complex interplay of personality and social relationships. While we studied the effects of personality on a wide range of social processes (e.g., zero acquaintance judgments, group formation, friendship development, mate choice, relationship maintenance), we shared a strong focus on observing real-life phenomena and implementing advanced methods to analyze our data. One year later, a research network called PERSOC, founded by the German Research Foundation, was set up to promote research on the interplay between personality and social relationships. Since the official start of PERSOC in late 2008, several meetings and workshops have established and deepened fruitful research collaborations and promoted the exchange of knowledge and methodological skills.

PERSOC members and Dave Kenny during the last network meeting in Mainz (March, 2010).

A key result of PERSOC is a conceptual framework that integrates personality in social phenomena and vice versa. This framework combines componential approaches like the social relations model (Kenny, 1994), process approaches like the lens model of person perception (Brunswik, 1956; Funder, 1999, 2001), and transactional models of personality development (Caspi, 1998; Neyer & Lehnart, 2007; Srivastava et al., 2003; Roberts et al., 2005). One of the main advantages of PERSOC is that it provides a common language and conceptual guidelines for research on personality and social relationships. In a nutshell, the PERSOC framework shows how personality and social relationships influence each other and develop over time via social interaction units that are each characterized by the interplay of a variety of social behavioral and interpersonal perception components. We hope that the PERSOC model may help to foster integrative research on personality and social relationships on a practical, theoretical and methodological level.

A number of collaborations and research projects have already begun to put the PERSOC framework into action. As a first important outlet of these cooperative projects a special issue of the European Journal of Personality (March 2011, edited by Lars Penke) addresses the interplay between personality and social relationships. Topics will be the PERSOC framework, several empirical articles on different relationship forms (personality judgments in the group formation process, speed dating, relationship satisfaction and maintenance, and family dynamics) and commentaries by David Kenny and David Funder, two of the world’s most renowned experts on this subject. Additionally, we present results of the ongoing projects in joint symposia (e.g., Symposium at the 1st free standing meeting of the Association of Research in Personality (ARP), Evanston, Illinois, July 16-18, 2009).

At regular intervals, we hold workshops to help young researchers interested in the interplay of personality and social relationships. These workshops focus on the conceptual, methodological and statistical prerequisites for investigating personality and social relationships. The first international workshop on social relations analyses in personality research will take place during the 15th European Conference on Personality in Brno, the Czech Republic (July, 20-24, 2010).

Finally, the PERSOC online platform www.persoc.net promotes research on personality and social relationships: First, this website presents the research network, including its goals and ideas and its jointly developed overall theoretical framework. Second, it provides researchers with a multitude of tools that can be used as resources for researchers and teachers on personality and social relationships. This material includes documents describing basic design considerations and teaching materials. Furthermore, new open-source statistical solutions are actively developed (e.g., for round robin analyses, see http://www.persoc.net/Toolbox). Third, it connects researchers with different areas of expertise, as everyone who is scientifically interested in the interplay between personality and social relationships can create an individual profile and browse the profiles of other members of the research community.

We would love to get feedback and share ideas with other researchers interested in this fascinating area of research. Meet us at the next conference (e.g., 15th European Conference on Personality in Brno, the Czech Republic; July, 20-24, 2010) or just get in touch with us via www.persoc.net.