Chapter 7 Flashcards
Traits
words that describe people’s typical styles of experience and action
Two factors of traits
distinctiveness and consistency
Description
traits summarize a person’s typical behavior and describe what a person is typically like
prediction
people with different levels of a given personality trait may differ predictably in their everyday behavior
explanation
some trait theorists suggest that trait constructs can be used to explain a person’s behavior
Shared assumptions amongst trait theorists
people possess broad predispositions (traits) to respond in particular ways, the traits are organized in a hierarchical manner, and Traits are the building blocks to personality!
Allport’s trait theory
- traits are the basic units of personality
- traits exist and are based in the nervous system
cardinal trait
the expression of a pervasive disposition such
that the it can be observed in every act
– People typically have very few cardinal traits
central traits
(e.g. honesty, kindness, assertiveness) the expression of dispositions that cover a more limited range of situations than cardinal traits
secondary dispositions
traits that may be seen less often or are seen in varying degrees of significance and generality
Allport’s explanation of functional autonomy
the adult grows out of early childhood motives. motives become autonomous instead of tension-reducing
Allport’s stance on idiographic approach to research
idiographic approach highlighted the pattern and
organization of multiple traits within a person rather than a person’s standing, relative to others, on isolated trait variables.
Factor analysis
summarizes the ways in which a large number
of variables go together/co-occur. (can find patterns as well)
Cattel theory
there are hierarchical relations among trait concepts
surface traits and source traits
surface traits
superficial behavioral tendencies that can be
observed because they exist “on the surface.”
source traits
internal psychological structures that underlie
observable behavioral tendencies or observed intercorrelations
Cattel’s three categories for grouping traits
ability traits
temperament traits
dynamic traits
Cattel’s three types of data
L data (life data), Q data (self-report questionnaire data), OT (objective testing data)
Stability and variability in behavior acc. Cattel
did not view people as static and behaving similarly in all
situations (state and role play factors)
Eysenck theory
traits are biologically based and we must understand their basis before we can see correlations
superfactors
Superfactors are traits and are consistent styles of emotion or behavior that distinguish people from one another. They are continuous dimensions with a high end and a low end.
3 superfactors
introversion-extraversion, neuroticism/stability, superfactor psychoticism
How does Eysenck explain the development of psychopathology and subsequent behavior change?
the type of symptoms or psychological difficulties a person experiences relate to basic personality traits and the nervous system functioning associated with the traits
