Lecture 2 Trait theory Flashcards
Assumptions about personality traits
stable across time and contexts
Mischel’s definition of traits
a conditional probability of a category of behaviours in a category of contexts
Burger’s definition?
a dimension of personality used to categorise people according to the degree to which they manifest a particular characteristic
What are the core trait theories?
Sheldon’s Somatypes
Early Lexical approaches
Allport
Cattell
Eysenck
Five-Factor Model
What is Sheldon’s somatypes theory based on?
The early constitutional approach work of Krestchmer (Nazi) (Physique & Character, 1931)
Sheldon’s somatypes brief summary
He identified body types and linked them to particular characteristics
What did ectomorph mean?
Athletic slim-structured, focus on nervous system and brain -> Cerebrotonia
What did mesomorph mean?
Large, bony with well-defined muscles, focus on musculature and the circulatory system, -> somatotonia
What did endomorph mean?
Rounded body tending towards fatness, focus on digestive system, particularly the stomach, -> visceratonia
Common misconception about the theory? (Somatypes)
Evaluation that people lose or gain weight however Sheldon is looking at an individual’s body type and underlying shape
What does cerebrotonia mean?
A need for privacy, restrained, inhibited
What does somatotonia mean?
Physically assertive, competitive, keen on physical activity
What does visceratonia mean?
Associated with a love of relaxation, and comfort; like food and are sociable
What is the Lexical Hypothesis? (Galton; 1884)
Important individual differences between people become encoded as single terms
Frequency of descriptor denotes importance (Also, number of synonyms)
Evidence for the Lexical Hypothesis?
Honest has 31 synonyms, aberrant has 9 therefore honest must be more important as a descriptor -> adaptive behaviour: more important in predicting behaviour, someone trustworthy more useful to you?
Allport’s contribution: the early work
Lexical researchers limited to counting terms, identifying synonyms and producing lists
Allport and Odbert (1936) 18,000 words identified and 4,500 describing personality traits
Not entirely scientific, but an indirect measurement
Allport’s later work (1961)
Distinction between nomothetic and idiographic
Personality traits
Proprium
What are Allport’s 3 personality traits?
Cardinal traits: single dominating trait e.g. competitiveness
Central traits: 5-10 best descriptors
Secondary traits: preference rather than core constituent
What does proprium mean?
synonym for self, representing all parts comprising concept of self
An overview of Cattell’s contribution
Application of empirical methods to discover basic structure of personality
What was Cattell’s process?
Large samples of individuals asked to rate degree to which attributes apply to them
Factor analysis (identification of clusters - correlated items) Example: Achievement orientated -> determined, persistent, productive, goal-directed
Distinguishing Trait Types (Cattell, 1965)
Constitutional traits, environmental-mold traits, ability traits, dynamic traits, temperament traits, common traits, unique traits
Using Cattell’s Trait Distinctions
Surface traits: collections of trait descriptors that cluster together in many individuals and situations, observable
Source traits: responsible for the observed variation in surface traits, represent underlying structure of personality
Source trait: extraversion
Surface trait: sociable, carefree, hopeful, contended
Cattell and Kline’s work in (1977)
Reduced descriptors from Allport and Odbert down to 171, removing synonyms
Going into clinical literature identified a total of 46 surface traits deemed sufficient to describe individual differences in personality
