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The traditional study of personality focuses on the structure of personality and its origins (Allport 1937; McAdams 2001; Murphy 1932, p. 386). Possibly one of the most important reasons to examine personality, however, is to understand how it influences people’s daily lives in meaningful and predictable ways. Personality can influence to whom individuals are attracted and how often they interact in social situations. Personality even influences how successful people are at getting along with other people. Indeed, social behaviour is often shaped by the dispositions of the individuals involved in the interactions (Ozer and Benet-Martinez 2006). Conversely, social relationships can also have a profound effect on personality (eg, Robins, Caspi and Moffitt 2002). This chapter will examine personality’s influence on social relations. First, we will begin by examining the direct effect of personality on social relations across a range of interpersonal relationships that occur during the lifespan. Secondly, we will focus on how personality not only influences social relations, but how social relations also can shape personality. Thirdly, we will discuss how personality and social relations may be influenced by the broader cultural context within which these relations occur. We will conclude by discussing newer methodologies that allow researchers to study both personality and social relationship effects simultaneously.

The personality dimensions presented in this chapter are not meant to be exhaustive but instead are offered as examples when considering the association between personality and social relations across the lifetime. We should also note that we will …