Reflexive characteristic adaptations: a review of the current research

The article aims at the general idea of reflexive characteristic adaptations (RCA) and a review of their current research. RCA represent self-schemas responsible for management and monitoring the information about personality traits by a person. Along with the traits, RCA are a component of the personality structure. In a sense, by means of RCA, the decomposition of traits, their «vertical» elaboration is implemented, if one considers the «horizontal» elaboration as a composition of traits themselves. The extant literature examines four types of RCA including attitudes toward traits, meta-traits, meta-attitudes toward traits, and trait efficacy. RCA have been found to supplementary contribute to the associations of traits with life and behavioral criteria. RCA have been also found to reveal new links with various criteria, the links which were not observed with traits. RCA also differ in their effects. In particular, the evaluation RCA (i.e., attitudes and meta-attitudes toward traits) contribute to building by the person his or her social environment. On the contrary, the identification RCA (i.e., meta-traits and trait efficacy) may produce incremental contributions to the associations between traits and criteria.