Trait Theorists Quiz: According to Trait Theorists, Traits are Relative

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Questions and Answers

What is one of the main topics covered in the text?

Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive Psychology

Psychoanalytic Theory

Trait Approach Theory (correct)

In the context of the text, what is Factor Analysis primarily used for?

Assessing behavioral patterns

Analyzing cognitive processes

Exploring unconscious motivations

Finding the structure of personality traits (correct)

What is a common challenge mentioned when describing one's personality to a stranger?

Lack of knowledge about oneself

Unwillingness to share personal information

Inability to recall past experiences

Difficulty in conveying personality traits (correct)

What is a key focus of the Trait Approach in psychology?

Assessing individual differences in personality Signup and view all the answers

According to the idiographic approach, researchers aim to:

Identify the unique combination of traits for each individual Signup and view all the answers

What are central traits, as described by Allport?

Traits that best describe an individual's personality Signup and view all the answers

In the context of personality, what does the term 'nomothetic approach' refer to?

An approach that uses standardized tests for trait identification Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport recommend as the first step in understanding a particular person's personality?

Identifying central traits Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport refer to as 'cardinal traits'?

Traits that dominate a personality Signup and view all the answers

What was Gordon Allport's view on the idiographic approach?

He advocated for its use in understanding individual differences Signup and view all the answers

What was Allport's response when faced with early resistance to his notion of personality traits?

He continued to develop his theory and achieved recognition Signup and view all the answers

How did Allport differentiate between central and secondary traits?

Central traits are more influential than secondary traits in shaping personality Signup and view all the answers

According to Allport, what is the advantage of using the idiographic approach?

It enables the person, not the researcher, to determine what traits to examine Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport consider as a turning point in his career?

His confrontation with Titchener and subsequent recognition of his theory Signup and view all the answers

Who is considered the first psychologist to work on traits?

Gordon Allport Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport propose as two strategies for personality research?

The nomothetic approach and the idiographic approach Signup and view all the answers

What did trait researchers focus on?

Typical behavior of people with certain trait scores Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport believe psychologists should acknowledge?

Manifest motives before exploring the unconscious Signup and view all the answers

What is significant about a person's trait score?

It is based on comparison with others, not an absolute measure Signup and view all the answers

What did Allport recognize about the trait concept?

Its limitations Signup and view all the answers

What did early typology systems do?

Divided people into types like sanguine, melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key assumption of the trait approach?

Personality characteristics are stable over time and across situations. Signup and view all the answers

What did Gordon Allport do?

Identified over 4,000 adjectives in English language for personality description. Signup and view all the answers

What does the trait approach assume about personality development?

Personality continues to develop throughout adulthood but changes gradually. Signup and view all the answers

What do trait psychologists believe about personality scores?

"Traits" are normally distributed along the continuum. Signup and view all the answers

What has been challenged regarding assumptions of trait stability?

"Traits" being relatively stable over time and across situations Signup and view all the answers

What is a key difference between typology and trait approaches?

Typology assumes distinct behavior for each type, while traits identify relatively stable characteristics along a continuum. Signup and view all the answers

What did early typology systems NOT have empirical support for?

Fitting into one category and distinct behavior. Signup and view all the answers

According to the text, what do trait psychologists believe about personality development?

Personality continues to develop throughout adulthood but changes gradually. Signup and view all the answers

What did early typology systems identify?

Types like sanguine, melancholic, choleric, phlegmatic. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common belief among trait psychologists about personality characteristics?

They are relatively stable over time and across situations. Signup and view all the answers

What is an assumption that has been challenged regarding trait stability?

'Traits' being relatively stable over time and across situations Signup and view all the answers

What did Henry Murray's approach to personality, personology, identify as the basic elements of personality?

Psychogenic needs Signup and view all the answers

How many psychogenic needs did Henry Murray identify in his personology approach to personality?

27 Signup and view all the answers

What projective measure did Henry Murray develop to get at material not readily accessible to conscious thought?

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) Signup and view all the answers

Who was another pioneer of the trait approach to personality, influenced by an approach used in other sciences to find the structure of personality?

Raymond Cattell Signup and view all the answers

What was one of Henry Murray's occupations during World War II?

$ ext{Work for the Office of Strategic Services}$ Signup and view all the answers

What were the basic elements of personality according to Henry Murray's personology approach?

Psychogenic needs and trait concepts Signup and view all the answers

What did Henry Murray describe as a 'readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions'?

Needs Signup and view all the answers

Who had a hand in developing the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) according to the text?

Christiana Morgan Signup and view all the answers

What degree did Henry Murray earn before finding his way to psychology?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What was one of Raymond Cattell's contributions to psychology?

Pioneer of the trait approach Signup and view all the answers

What did Murray believe influenced behavior according to his theory?

Situations or press Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Henry Murray was an influential personality theorist who blended psychoanalytic and trait concepts.
Murray's approach to personality, called personology, identified psychogenic needs as the basic elements of personality.
He described needs as a "readiness to respond in a certain way under certain given conditions," and identified 27 psychogenic needs, including the need for Autonomy, Achievement, Dominance, and Order.
Murray's work was influenced by his interactions with Carl Jung, and his writings contain numerous references to the unconscious.
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective measure designed to get at material not readily accessible to conscious thought.
Murray believed that each person has a personal hierarchy of needs, and behavior is influenced by the situation or press.
Raymond Cattell was another pioneer of the trait approach and borrowed an approach used in other sciences to find the structure of personality.
Murray's background was not in psychology, but he was influenced by his interactions with Carl Jung and his paramour, Christiana Morgan, who had a hand in developing the TAT.
Murray earned degrees in history, medicine, and biochemistry before finding his way to psychology, and struggled with a stutter which he overcame to become a successful lecturer at Harvard.
Murray took a break from academia during World War II to work for the Office of Strategic Services.
Murray's work was significant in the development of the trait approach to personality, which focuses on the identification of consistent patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior.
Murray's personal hierarchy of needs theory suggests that behavior is influenced by the intensity of various needs, and that not all needs are equally important in every situation.

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Test your knowledge about important trait theorists and their research focus on predicting behavior based on trait continua. Explore the perspectives covered in the book and understand the key principles of trait research.

Trait Theorists Quiz