The “New Big Five” from a personalistic point of view

McAdams and Pals (2006) “New Big Five” principles are contrasted with William Stern's conception of the person. It is criticized that the intra-individual organization of the person is not adequately addressed in the “New Big Five” approach: McAdams and Pals are shifting the issue of the idiosyncratic organization of the person to the level of a more or less coherent life narrative. The person tells or constructs a narrative, the person, however, is not the narrative.It is therefore suggested to complement and enrich the “New Big Five” with the three primary characteristics of the person as proposed by William Stern: unitas multiplex, purposefulness and individuality. In addition, Stern's concept of introception is suggested as a more integrated view of how the external world is internalized within the person. In concluding, the significance of Stern's critical personalism for an integrative science of personality in the 21^st century is highlighted.