Which of the following statements best describes the study of personality?

A) Personality psychologists are interested in how people react to different situations.
B) Personality psychologists now recognize that early explanations of personality, such as Freud's psychoanalytic theory, are incorrect.
C) Personality psychologists are interested in consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes originating within the individual.
D) Personality psychologists are interested in the consistent behavior patterns caused either by something about the person or by placing the person in the same situation.

Personality psychologists are primarily interested in studying consistent behavior patterns and intrapersonal processes that originate within the individual. They focus on understanding why individuals behave in certain ways across diverse situations, rather than simply how they react to different situations. While some early explanations of personality, such as Freud's psychoanalytic theory, are no longer widely accepted, this does not negate the importance of the study of personality as a field. Finally, it is not simply the consistency of behavior patterns that is of interest to personality psychologists, but rather their origins and underlying processes.