Final answer:
The dispositional level of need for affiliation is highly variable over a person's lifetime due to changing circumstances, life stages, and influences such as selective migration, which is the movement of people to areas that fit their personality and needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the dispositional level of need for affiliation is highly variable in a given person throughout their lifetime is true. The need for affiliation is a term in psychology that describes the desire for people to be with others; it is a dispositional need that can fluctuate with circumstances, experiences, and age. As an individual progresses through different stages of life, such as adolescence, adulthood, and old age, their interpersonal needs, including the need for affiliation, can change. For instance, during young adulthood, the need for affiliation might be strong as one seeks to establish connections and friendships. However, in later life, the requirement for such connections might decrease as one's life circumstances evolve.
Social psychology, which includes the study of personality traits and situational factors, further supports the idea that this need is not static over time. Factors such as geographic relocation can also influence one's need for affiliation. This can be linked to the concept of selective migration, where individuals move to places that are compatible with their personalities and needs, a pattern that has been observed to correlate with personality characteristics typical of certain geographic regions.