Personality Traits Overview

Personality Traits

• Definition: Personality is a combination of enduring personal consistency and continuity. It reflects consistent patterns in how we think, feel, act, and react in various situations.
• Historical View: Previously, personality was understood in terms of types (e.g., Type A and B). However, the focus has shifted towards understanding individual traits.

Traits

• Definition: Traits are enduring, relatively stable characteristics that influence behavior. People possess the same traits, but they vary in the degree to which they are expressed.
• Distribution: Traits are typically viewed as being normally distributed. Individuals can exhibit high, low, or moderate levels of a trait.
• Uniqueness: Each person's unique combination of traits is unlikely to be replicated in others.
• Biopsychosocial Approach: Personality traits are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Genetics contribute approximately 50% to personality, while the remaining half is explained by life experiences.

Lexical Hypothesis

• Definition: Proposed by Gordon Allport, this hypothesis suggests that important personality aspects are reflected in our language.
• Method: To identify personality traits, researchers examine words used to describe personality.

Allport's Theory of Proprium

• Definition: Proprium refers to the core of the personality, emphasizing a positive, growth-oriented, creative drive in human nature.
• Importance: This idea foreshadowed modern positive psychology.

Allport's Traits: Cardinal, Central, and Secondary

• Cardinal Traits: These are dominant and pervasive traits that define a person's core personality.
• Central Traits: These are less dominant than cardinal traits but are still important in shaping personality.
• Secondary Traits: These are relatively minor traits that are more situation-specific and less consistent.

Fundamental Questions of Personality Psychology

• How many core personality traits exist?
• What are these core traits?
• Are these traits universal across cultures?

Factor Models of Personality

• Factor Analysis: This statistical technique is used to identify underlying factors that explain the relationships between various observed variables (e.g., personality traits).

16PF Model (Cattell)

• Development: Developed using factor analysis, this model identifies 16 primary personality factors.
• Strengths and Weaknesses: The model provides a comprehensive view of personality but its sheer size can be considered a weakness.

Five-Factor Model (FFM or Big Five)

• Core Dimensions:
  • Openness to experience
  • Conscientiousness
  • Extraversion
  • Agreeableness
  • Neuroticism
• Facets: Each major dimension (factor) consists of lower-level facets that provide more specific descriptions.
• Challenges with Facets: There is limited research on the specific definitions of facets, which limits their validity.
• Aspects: Provide a middle ground between factors and facets.

Two-Factor Models (Eysenck)

• Two Core Dimensions:
  • Extraversion/Introversion
  • Neuroticism/Emotional Stability
• Biological Basis: Eysenck emphasized the biological underpinnings of these two factors.