Personality Psychology Definition TraitDisposition A trait is any readilyidentifiable stable quality that characterizes an individual from other individuals A trait is a characteristic ID: 364231
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Slide1
Trait or Dispositional Theories
Personality PsychologySlide2
Definition – Trait/Disposition
A trait is any readily-identifiable, stable quality that characterizes an individual from other
individuals.
A trait is a characteristic way in which an individual perceives, feels, believes, or acts. Traits serve to summarize, predict, and explain a person’s behavior.Slide3
Trait/Dispositional Theories
Traits present specific ideas about a person’s
disposition which is
the way a person is likely to behave across situations as well as over time.Discover/Define main traits.Measure traits.Organize traits:
H
ierarchically
or as a continuum. Slide4
Discovering Traits
Lexical Approach
Collecting words and synonyms of traits
Statistical (Empirical) Approach
Factor Analysis
Theoretical Approach
Using theory and past informationSlide5
Factor Analysis
Statistical procedure to identify items that group together and reflect a larger factor.
Selection of traits
Labeling of factorsNumber of factorsSlide6
Gordon
Allport
Born 1897, died 1967
Quiet and reserved
Went into Psychology because he followed his brother, Floyd
Allport
(a Social Psychologist), to
Harvard
.
Received
an undergraduate degree in philosophy and economics from Harvard, and taught in Europe for a year.
While
in Europe, he had a fortuitous meeting with Sigmund Freud in Vienna, which helped him decide to complete a Ph.D. in psychology.Slide7
Allport’s Disposition Theory
“Father” of trait
theory
Used a lexical
approach
There
is value in surface characteristics – there is more to a person than what is at the “unconscious”
level
To discover what someone is like, ask them about themselves. They are the best source of information.
Traits are both inherited and learnedSlide8
Allport’s Theory (con’t)
Suggested internal
and external forces that influence an individual’s
behavior.
Genotypes
are internal forces relates to how a person retains information and uses it to interact with the external world.
Phenotypes
are external forces, these relate to the way an individual accepts his surroundings and how others influence their behavior. These forces generate the ways in which we behave and are the groundwork for the creation of individual traits.Slide9
Allport suggested that each individual has a unique set of personality
traits
He called these personal
dispositionsA disposition is “a generalized neuropsychic structure with the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent and to initiate and guide consistent forms of adaptive and stylistic behavior.”Allport divided traits into three categories: Cardinal
, Central, and Secondary
Allport’s
Theory (
con’t
)Slide10
Allport’s Theory (con’t)
Cardinal Traits
A trait so dominant a person’s entire life revolves around it.
Most people do not have one.
Secondary Traits
Characteristics that are exhibited in specific situations
Secondary traits are more easily modified than central traits
Central
Traits
Qualities
that characterize a person’s daily interactions
Most people have 5 to 10 central traits
To understand a person, one should look at the
pattern
of central traitsSlide11
Allport
further divided personal dispositions into
M
otivational dispositions, which are strong enough to initiate action and Stylistic dispositions, which refer to the manner in which an individual behaves and which guide rather than initiate action.
Allport’s
Theory (
con’t)Slide12
Allport’s Theory (con’t)
Motives
Opportunistic Functioning: tendency to satisfy biological needs
Propriate
Functioning: expressing one’s self
Proprium
Behaviors and
characteristics that people regard as
warm and central
in their
lives.
P
referred this term over
self or ego because the latter terms could imply an object or thing within a person that controls behavior, whereas
proprium
suggests the core of one's personhood
.Slide13
Allport’s Theory (con’t)
Development of the
Proprium
Sense of body – Warmth, pain, etc.
Self-identity – Individual entity
Self-esteem – Value, competencies
Self-extension – Self-definition, warm and close
Self-image – How others see us
Rational
coping
– Dealing with life
Propriate
striving
– Future, purpose, directionSlide14
Allport’s Theory (con’t)
Psychological Maturity
E
xtensions
of self, i.e. involvement.
W
arm
relating to others
Emotional
security and
self-acceptance
R
ealistic
perception
not defensiveness
Problem-centeredness
Self-objectification
A
unifying philosophy of
lifeSlide15
Raymond
Cattell
Born 1905, died 1998.
Born in England, first in his family to go to college. (Degree was in Chemistry.)Came to America to work with E. L. Thorndike and was invited to Harvard University by Allport.Slide16
Raymond
Cattell
Cattell
asked the question, "How do we figure
out
which personality traits are most important in understanding people?"
This
is the question asked by many personality psychologists taking the "
Essential trait approach
." Slide17
Used the
Inductive Method
Gather
a large amount of Data
Run
an exploratory factor analysis on the data set (a "fishing expedition" which looks for data clusters)
This
exploratory analysis then gives the researcher information to base future hypothesis on, and the underlying
significant
factors discovered in the exploratory stage are then used to run a confirmatory analysis.
Cattell’s
Trait TheorySlide18
Factor
analysis reduction of 4,500 trait words (left by
Allport
) to 16 most basic primary personality
dimensions.
Not as concerned with whether traits were inherited or
learned.
Cattell’s
Theory (
con’t
)Slide19
Trait Description
Description of Opposing Extremes
1
Abstractedness
imaginative
vs. practical
2
Apprehension
insecure
vs. complacent
3
Dominance
aggressive
vs. passive
4
Emotional Stability
calm
vs. high-strung
5
Liveliness
enthusiastic
vs. serious
6
Openness to Change
liberal
vs. traditional
7
Perfectionism
compulsive
vs. indifferent8Privatenesspretentious vs. unpretentious9
Reasoning
abstract
vs. concrete
10
Rule Consciousness
moralistic
vs. free-thinking
11
Self-Reliance
leader
vs. follower
12
Sensitivity
sensitive
vs. tough-minded
13
Social Boldness
uninhibited
vs.
timid
14
Tension
driven
vs. easy
going
15Vigilance suspicious vs. accepting16Warmthwarmhearted vs. aloof
Cattell’s
Theory (
con’t
)Slide20
Cattell’s Theory (con’t)
Three broad sources of data
that are used to
uncover all the major dimensions of personality.These three sources are L-data, Q-data, and T-data.These three sources of data must be integrated to capture the full complexity of human personality.Slide21
Cattell’s Theory (con’t
)
L-Data
Gathered from one’s life records
T-Data
Information obtained from objective testing situations
Q-Data
Information gathered from questionnaires and interviewsSlide22
Cattell’s Theory (con’t)
Two types of Traits
Surface traits: Clusters of overt responses that seem to go together.
Source traits: Building blocks of personality. More stable than surface traits and can only be discovered by factor analysis.Slide23
Five-Factor Model
Many researchers have suggested a Five-Factor Model.
Earliest
evidence of the five factor model came from D. W. Fiske in 1949.The most commonly used model today is from McCrae and Costa (1987).Slide24
McCrae and Costa (1987)
Big Five Factors
Openness
to experience – Inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautiousAppreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, curiosity, and variety of experience. Openness reflects the degree of intellectual curiosity, creativity and a preference for novelty and
variety.Slide25
McCrae and Costa (1987)
Big Five Factors
Conscientiousness
Efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless A tendency to show self-discipline, act
dutifully
, and aim for achievement; planned rather than spontaneous behavior; organized, and dependable.Slide26
McCrae and Costa (1987)
Big Five Factors
Extraversion
– Outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved Energy, positive emotions,
surgency
,
assertiveness, sociability and the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of others, and talkativeness.Slide27
McCrae and Costa (1987)
Big Five Factors
Agreeableness
– Friendly/compassionate vs. cold/unkind A tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others.Slide28
McCrae and Costa (1987)
Big Five Factors
Neuroticism
Sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident The tendency to experience unpleasant emotions easily, such as anger, anxiety, depression, or vulnerability. Neuroticism also refers to the degree of emotional stability and impulse control, and is sometimes referred by its low pole – "emotional stability".