Critiquing trait theories of personality

Question 1

what factor does the HEXACO model add to the big 5

Answer 1

Honesty-Humility (H)

Question 2

what are issues with the lexical approach

Answer 2

• Assumes all personality is captured by everyday language
  Uses personality surveys to derive basic factors

Question 3

who was a major opponent of the lexical approach and what was his own approach

Answer 3

Han Eysenck - Two factor model - extraversion and neuroticism

Question 4

what did Han Eysenck add to the two factor model at a later date

Answer 4

psychoticism - aggressiveness, coldness, antisocial tendencies, egocentricity, vulnerability to psychotic disorders (e.g. schizophrenia)

Question 5

what are common controversies in trait psychology

Answer 5

• Are traits consistent/universal
  -Should we refer to traits (continuous) vs types (categorical)
  -are traits descriptive enough

Question 6

are individual differences consistent

Answer 6

• Behaviour is not always consistent - situation can override personality in dependent on context

Question 7

what did Walter Mischel find

Answer 7

• Observed behaviour and personality traits correlate weakly
  -Situation is main determinant - traits are weak predictors

Question 8

what did Hartshorne and May find about personality traits in children

Answer 8

Gave thousands of children multiple behavioural tests of dishonesty
- Lying, cheating and stealing
Dishonesty varied widely across situations, with little consistency

Question 9

what are some proposed criticisms of Mischel

Answer 9

Weak correlations are still important
Situational influences are about as weak as personality influences
Need for an interactionist view that recognizes traits, situations, and their combined effects

Question 10

why is there culture bias in the structure of personality

Answer 10

• Result of the language it was developed in
  Lexical approach= English dictionary

Question 11

how do we test if traits are universal

Answer 11

• Translate to other languages
  Are the factors consistent

Question 12

what was found of culture tests on trait theory

Answer 12

Strong congruence for most factors in European languages - least consistent was openness

Question 13

what is Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory

Answer 13

Adds “Chinese Tradition” factor
Captures cultural practices and customs

Question 14

what culture specific traits were found in the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory

Answer 14

Harmony
Ren Qing (relationship orientation)
Modernization
Thrift versus Extravagance
Ah-Q Mentality (defensiveness)
Face

Question 15

what is the difference between traits and types

Answer 15

• Traits are dimensional and have a continuum
  Types are categorical or nominal

Question 16

are traits generally useful for describing personality

Answer 16

usually a good starting point, but alternative units are usually needed

Question 17

examples of alternative units to use alongside traits to describe personality

Answer 17

Motives, needs, and goals (humanistic)
Genetics (biology)
Self-schemas (cognitive)
Life narratives (qualitative)