My goals in writing this textbook were to

• Give a glimpse into the history of personality psychology as a field
• Show how theories and theorists build off one another and are influenced by their time and place
• Recognize that no theory (or theorist) is perfect
• Encourage students to pick and choose what works for them--to scavenge for and sculpt their own understanding of personality
• Understand the purpose of “theory” for organizing and explaining observations of life, and
• Keep the reader entertained, or at least awake, while sneaking in some knowledge.

To these ends, I tried to choose historic theories that represented key approaches and were springboards for others. I attempted to stay true to yet simplify the original words and ideas of the theorists. However, it was also important to put each theory in context with what we know today. It is essential to recognize that most of the field has been shaped by white men and that contributions by white women and non-white theorists were often overlooked; their theories and research have been lost to history or absorbed into the works of others. Nonetheless, the field of personality psychology moves forward. It is changing and adapting, which we briefly discuss in the Conclusion, so knowing where we have been will help us determine where to go.