Toward a Reconceptualization of Person-Environment Interactions: Applications to Research on Drinking Behavior

While a number of discrete person and environment factors have been studied in the context of alcohol use, more recently attention has been focused on the study of these variables in tandem. In this paper, we describe historically how an appreciation of the person-environment interaction has evolved. We also delineate the host of person and environment variables which can contribute to this interaction. A perspective from which to study this interplay, based on ecologicai-Gibsonian psychology, is offered, and practical applications and lines of research are suggested. It is hoped that notions such as those proposed herein may contribute to a more inclusive awareness and comprehension of the variables influencing alcohol usc.