Theories of Personality: Trait Theory Quiz

Theories of Personality: Trait Theory

• Trait theory focuses on consistent patterns in how individuals behave, feel, and think. Consistency is key, applying beyond time and place.
• Traits are continuous; everyone exhibits some degree of each trait, although differing in intensity. Traits cannot be completely lacking.
• Aims of trait theory include descriptive, predictive and explanatory analyses. Trait theory doesn't aim to explain every aspect of personality; instead, it focuses on key patterns.
• A frequently occurring critique of trait theory is that it is too reductionist.
• Approaches to studying traits are nomothetic (broad similarities across people) and idiographic (unique attributes of individuals).
• The trait approach views traits as fundamental building blocks of personality, with the trait approach focusing on the second level of this hierarchy.

Key Theorists

• Gordon Allport (1897-1967): Considered the father of modern personality theory, born in Indiana, and with a background in philosophy and economics. He had a shy and introverted personality. Allport believed traits were inherited but did not conduct research to support this theory, critiqued for leaning too heavily on the idiographic approach, and had a meeting with Freud.
  • Allport identified three types of traits: Cardinal, Central and Secondary.
    • Cardinal traits: Very obvious, impacting all aspects of a person's life, often developing later in life (e.g., power-hungry, narcissistic).
    • Central traits: More common, forming the foundation of personality (e.g., honesty, assertiveness, anxiousness).
    • Secondary traits: Less obvious and less consistent; situational, often relating to attitudes and preferences (e.g., anxiety when speaking in public).
• Raymond Cattell (1905-1998): Studied physics and chemistry, working with Thorndike, Allport, and Spearman. Cattell used factor analysis to reduce Allport's 4,500 traits to 16 source traits, categorized into ability, temperament, and dynamic traits.
  • L-data: Life history data - school performance, peer interactions.
  • Q-data: Questionnaire data - self-report.
  • OT-data: Objective test data - observing people in mini-situations.
• Hans Eysenck (1916-1997): Widely studied French literature, history, and physics with a background in aesthetics.
  • Eysenck's theory is based on factor analysis, resulting in fewer traits than Cattell's 16.
  • Developed PEN model of Big three Traits: Psychoticism (aggressive-antisocial), Extraversion, and Neuroticism.
  • Created a prolific body of work, with controversy regarding their research approach.
• Paul Costa & Robert McCrae: Based at the National Institute on Aging. These two researched the intersection of lexical and psychometric traditions. Developed the Big 5 Inventory (OCEAN): - Openness to experience: A characteristic of an individual who is intellectually curious and enjoys new things. - Conscientiousness: A measure of self-discipline and aiming for achievement. - Extraversion: Tendency to seek stimulation from others. - Agreeableness: A tendency to be compassionate instead of antagonistic. - Neuroticism: A tendency to easily experience unpleasant emotions.

Trait Theory: Other Aspects

• Trait theory measures are commonly used in research, clinical settings, and personnel selection.
• Lexical Hypothesis - personality characteristics encoded in language. Sir Francis Galton first applied the lexical hypothesis to personality.
• Allport researched the lexical hypothesis by researching 17,000 personality trait terms in the English language, categorizing them as cardinal, central, and secondary traits.
• Eysenck's theory and work were frequently debated; Eysenck's views on race, eugenics, and the idea that personality is influenced by biology were highly controversial, causing criticism and debate.
• Biological Basis of Personality - The interaction between genes and environment. Twin studies and experimental research have been used to understand this interaction.
• Explanatory aspects of trait theories are commonly debated concerning comprehensive explanations of all human behaviors.
• Traits are considered stable and change over time, and cross-cultural consistency of traits. Self report instruments are common, with many including lie-scales.

Trait Theory: Applications and Evaluations

• Trait theory provides a framework for understanding various aspects of behavior and personality.
• Trait-based inventories can assess traits in research, clinical settings, and personnel selection.
• Evaluation of trait theories frequently mention the descriptive and comprehensive nature of the theory while also addressing its limitation to fully explain all aspects of human behavior.
• Trait theories are commonly criticized for relying on self-report while also being considered reliable and helpful in predicting behaviors.