Final answer:
Interactionists believe behavior is a product of both situational and dispositional factors, following the concept of reciprocal determinism.
Step-by-step explanation:
Interactionists believe that personality and the environment work together to shape behavior, a concept known as reciprocal determinism. Albert Bandura's social-cognitive theory, for instance, suggests that cognitive processes, behavior, and context interact with each other, influencing and being influenced simultaneously. These ideas counter Skinner's stricter behaviorist perspective that environment solely directs behavior, considering cognitive factors like beliefs and expectations as important contributors to personality and behavior.
Furthermore, interactionists understand behavior as a combination of situational factors—the physical and social environment one is in—and dispositional factors, internal character traits and temperaments of individuals. Such interplay considers both why a person might act differently in different settings and how someone's inner qualities might guide their responses to varying situations. Acknowledging the situational influences like social roles and cultural norms, interactionists examine how social status, roles, and the family as a group of 'actors' play a part in determining behavior.