A Behavioral Conceptualization of Personality Functioning

Personality functioning (PF) has become central to contemporary models of personality pathology, yet its conceptual foundations remain unclear. Current theories often mix descriptive summarize of behavior with inferred internal mechanisms, risking circular explanations. I outline a behavioral reconceptualization of PF that reframes impairments in identity, self-direction, empathy, and intimacy as learned patterns of private versus public stimulus control over self-related repertories. This approach preserves PF’s clinical utility while increasing mechanistic clarity, testability, and developmental specificity.