Details of Catell's Theory of personality

Question 1

Overview

Answer 1

Cattell’s theory seeks to explain the complicated transactions between the personality system and the more inclusive sociocultural matrix of the functioning organism.

He suggested that an adequate theory of personality must take into account

• the multiple traits that comprise the personality,
• the extent to which these traits are genetically and environmentally determined, and
• the ways in which genetic and environmental factors interact to influence behaviour.

In this unit we will be studying the details regarding Cattell’s Trait theory of personality, its definitions,
the dynamics underlying the theory etc.

Question 2

Raymond Catell: Life

Answer 2

Raymond Cattell was born in 1905 and died in 1998.

He was educated in Britain and he obtained his doctorate from University of London and after which he worked as director, child guidance clinic for 5 years.

He came to the US to work with E.L.Thorndike and developed officer selection methods. He established an Institute for Personality and Ability testing.

He taught at University of Illinois for 30 years and more and went to Hawai in 1978 and until death he was teaching in the University of Hawaii.

Question 3

Factor analysis

Answer 3

Cattell thought that clinicians observations were not a scientific basis for understanding or classifying personality.

He used inductive method of scientific inquiry to develop his theory of personality.

That is, he gathered large amount of data and used factor analysis on the data looking for clusters

Question 4

Source, surface traits and personality

Answer 4

For Cattell personality was that which permitted a prediction of what a person will do in a given situation.

The underlying basic factors of a person’s personalities was termed by him as source traits.

He used factor analysis and found common
clusters of surface traits. These clusters were termed by Cattell as Source traits.

He gathered data about the individual from the liferecord etc., took self reports and used the Questionnaire data and used tests and obtained test results which all put together with source traits gave the personality of an individual.

Question 5

16PF

Answer 5

Cattell has identified 35 primary traits of which 23 characterised normal individuals

and 12 characterised abnormal individuals.

He developed a scale called 16 PF which was designed to assess 16 different source traits associated with normal behaviour.

Question 6

Ergs

Answer 6

Cattell said that humans are innately driven by ergs, which means goals were created because of hunger, curiosity, anger, fear, or other basic motivations which
are found in both humans and primates.

Question 7

Fluid and Crystallized intelligence

Answer 7

Cattell distinguished two types of intelligence viz.,

(i) Fluid intelligence
(ii) Crystallised intelligence.

According to him, Fluid intelligence allows the persons to learn new things regardless of past experience,

whereas the crystallized intelligence is the ability to solve problems based upon previous experience.

Cattell believed that intelligence was primarily an inherited trait.

Question 8

definition

Attitudes:

Answer 8

Cattell was of the view that personality has to be considered in terms of not only traits but also various other variables including attitudes.

Cattell defined attitude as the desire to act in a specific way in response to a specific situation.

Question 9

Dynamic lattice

Attitude

Answer 9

Attitudes are interconnected within the Dynamic lattice, that is

dynamic lattice is Cattell’s attempt to display graphically his theoretical analysis of the relationship between

• the mind’s instinctive driving forces and
• their overlying semantic and attitudinal superstructure.

Question 10

subsidisation chain:

Attitude

Answer 10

The specific attitudinal connections within the dynamic lattice are controlled by susidiation chains, that is some attitudes are subordinate to other attitudes.

The subsidisation chain helps determine when specific attitude will produce a specific behaviour.

Question 11

Definition

Ergs

Answer 11

Ergs are goals created because of hunger, thirst etc. The organism is motivated to get food when hungry. These are called ergs.

Question 12

SEMs

Ergs

Answer 12

Socially created goals are called socially shaped ergs and Cattell gave it the term socially shaped ergic manifolds.

In short form it was called SEM.

Cattell used SEM to help explain the contribution of the environment to human behaviour.

SEM’s are socially acquired and can satisfy several ergs at one time.

Because SEMS are socially acquired, they vary in number and type by culture.

SEM’s get their energy from the ERG’s.

Question 13

List of ergs

Ergs

Answer 13

Humans are innately driven by ergs, which are goals created by curiosity, anger, hunger, fear, and many other basic motivations.

Through research Cattell developed list of ergs which are for instance,
Food- Seeking,
Mating,
Gregariousness,
Parental Protectiveness,
Exploration,
Safety,
Self-Assertion,
Pugnacity,
Narcissistic Sex, and
Acquisitiveness.
Some of the major socially shaped ergic models are profession, family and home,
spouse, religion. Together with attitudes, ERHGs and SEMs interact to produce
behaviour.
According to Cattell, if you can systematically

Question 14

Socially shaped ergic models
ERGs, SEMS and Behaviour
Ergs

Answer 14

Some of the major socially shaped ergic models are profession,
family and home,
spouse,
religion.

Together with attitudes, ERHGs and SEMs interact to produce behaviour.

According to Cattell, if you can systematically identify their attitudes, ERG’s and SEM’s, you should then be able to reliably predict future behaviour.

Question 15

Interactions:

Theory

Answer 15

Cattell’s trait theory of personality attempts to explain the interaction between the genetic and personality systems and the socio cultural milieu within which the organism is functioning.

It delves deep into the complicated transactions
between the personality system and the more inclusive sociocultural matrix of the functioning organism.

According to him these traits are genetically and
environmentally determined, and the ways in which genetic and environmental factors interact decide the behaviour of the individual.

Cattell opines that an appropriate theory of personality must take into account the multiple traits that comprise the personality. The theory should be able to indicate the ways in which genetic and environmental factors interact to influence behaviour.

Question 16

Measurement:

Theory

Answer 16

He believes that an appropriate theory of personality functioning and growth must be based on systematic research methods and precise measurements.

Multivariate statistics and factor analysis are his preferred methods of personality study.

Question 17

Self Assessment Questions

1) Describe in detail Cattell’s trait theory of personality.
2) What are the two types of Intelligence as put forward by Cattell? Theory of Personality
3) Define and describe ERGs and SEMs
4) How does Cattell use ERGs and SEMs in his theory of Personality?

Answer 17

….

Question 18

Formula for Personality

Answer 18

According to Cattell [1965], personality is that which permits us to predict what a person will do in a given situation.

With the help of mathematical analysis of personality, he suggests that the prediction of behaviour can be made by a specification equation .The formula used by Cattell to predict behaviour with any degree of accuracy is given below:
R = f (S ,P )
Where R refers to the nature of a person’s specific response, f refers to the unspecified function, S refers to the stimulus situation at a given moment in time and P refers to the Personality structure.

To be more specific, this formula signifies that the nature of a person’ specific response(R), meaning what the person does or thinks or verbalises, is some unspecified function(f) of the stimulus situation(S) at a given moment in time and also of the individual’s personality structure(P).

The specification equation shows that the person’s specific response to any given situation is a function of all the combined traits relevant to that situation. Here each trait is interacting with situational factors that may affect it.

Question 19

How to increase predictive accuracy

Answer 19

Cattell also accepts that it is difficult to predict a person’s behaviour in a given situation. In order to increase predictive accuracy, the personality theorist must consider not only what traits a person possesses but also the many nontrait variables such as for example, the person’s moods and particular social roles called for in the situation and related aspects.

It is also necessary to weigh each trait according to its relevance to the situation in question.

For example, if the person were in emotionally arousing situation, the trait of anxiety would be assigned a high weight in predicting the person’s
response.

Thus, the equation is an oversimplification of Cattell’s trait theory, yet, this general formula conveys Cattell’s strong belief that human behaviour is determined and can be predicted.