Does Network Theory Contradict Trait Theory?

I argue that the trait and network theories of personality are not necessarily contradictory. If appropriately formalized, it may turn out that network theory incorporates traits as part of the theory. I object the opinion that if a trait is a cause of behaviour, then it is necessarily an entity operating in the minds of individuals. Finally, I argue that liking parties can be a label for a random variable (item), a stochastic process (a family of items at different time points) and a latent variable (trait). In our colloquial language, we do not make these distinctions, which leads often to confusions. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.