The interactional approaches hold that situational characteristic which plays an important role in determining our behaviour. People may behave as dependent or independent not because of their internal personality trait, but because of external rewards threats available is a particular situation. The cross-situational consistency of traits is found to be quite low. The compelling influence of situations can be noted by observing people's behaviour in places like a market, a courtroom, or a place of worship.
When a sports psychologist uses an interactional approach, they have to consider both situational determinants and personality traits exhibited by the individual.
The interactional approach considers both psychological traits and situational influences on behavior. The two aspects mix and can alter behavior. Your psychological traits and environmental influences interact and combine in unique ways to sculpt your behavior.
As an example, a soccer play may have a 'short fuse' which often leads to rash and potentially hostile actions. Yet the soccer player will not show that behavior consistently. Only when he is forced to react to psychological behavior triggers does the player become aggressive and snap in a violent manner.