PERSONALITY Flashcards
PERSONALITY
- Nomothetic approach: This approach focuses on identifying and measuring personality traits that are shared by a large
number of people. It seeks to establish general laws or principles that can be applied to individuals or groups. The goal
is to develop a universal framework for understanding personality. - Ideographic approach: This approach emphasizes the uniqueness of individuals and their personal experiences. It seeks
to understand personality in the context of the individual’s life history, social and cultural background, and subjective
experiences. The goal is to develop a personalized understanding of personality that takes into account the individual’s
unique circumstances and experiences. - Social-radical approach: This approach views personality as a product of social and historical forces. It sees personality
as shaped by larger social structures, such as economic and political systems, and historical events. The goal is to
understand how social and historical factors influence the development of personality, and to identify ways to change
these factors to promote individual and social well-being.
PERSONALITY IN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
Job description and person specification:
* When recruiting for a position, the employer should have a clear job description and person specification outlining the
skills, experience, and personal attributes required for the job.
* The person specification may include personality traits such as motivation, adaptability, communication skills, and
leadership ability.
PERSONALITY TESTS:
- Personality tests are used by some employers to assess job candidates’ personalities and determine whether they are a
good fit for the job and the company culture. - The tests can be administered in various forms, such as questionnaires or interviews.
- Personality tests can be used to measure specific traits, such as conscientiousness, agreeableness, and emotional
stability, or broader personality dimensions, such as the Big Five personality traits. - Critics of personality tests argue that they can be unreliable and may not accurately predict job performance
NOMOTHETIC APPROACH:
- The nomothetic approach to personality assumes that personality traits can be measured and categorized in a
standardized way across all individuals. - This approach relies on personality tests and inventories to measure personality traits, which are then compared to
norms and averages to determine how the individual differs from the norm. - The nomothetic approach assumes that personality is stable over time and consistent across situations
IDEOGRAPHIC APPROACH:
- The ideographic approach to personality assumes that personality is unique to each individual and cannot be
standardized or measured in a standardized way. - This approach focuses on the individual’s subjective experiences and the context in which they occur, rather than on
standardized tests or inventories. - The ideographic approach assumes that personality is not fixed and can change over time and in response to different
situations
PERSONALITY MEASUREMENT TRADE-OFF
When there is limited time available for personality measurement, more efficient and standardized methods such as personality
tests or structured interviews may be used to obtain a more general picture of a candidate’s personality. On the other hand,
when more time is available, more in-depth methods such as behavioural observation or open-ended interviews can be used to
gather richer and more complex information about a candidate’s personality. The choice of method depends on the resources
available and the level of detail required for the job
NOMOTHETIC APPROACHES TO PERSONALITY
Some additional information on nomothetic approaches to personality:
* Trait theories: These theories assume that personality traits are stable and consistent across different situations and
that individuals differ in the degree to which they possess certain traits. For example, the Big Five personality traits
(openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) are widely used to describe and measure
individual differences in personality.
* Type theories: These theories assume that people can be classified into distinct types based on their personality
characteristics. For example, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) categorizes individuals into 16 personality types
based on their preferences for four dichotomous dimensions: extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition,
thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving.
* Personality tests: These are standardized instruments used to assess individuals’ personality traits and characteristics.
Examples include the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the 16PF (16 Personality Factors)
questionnaire. Personality tests can be useful in workplace settings for selection, training, and development purposes.
* One of the advantages of nomothetic approaches to personality is that they allow for systematic and scientific
investigation of personality traits and their relationship to various outcomes, such as job performance or job
satisfaction. However, critics argue that these approaches may oversimplify the complexity of individual personality and
ignore the role of situational factors in shaping behaviour.
THEORIES OF PERSONALITY TYPE
HIPPOCRATES AND THE FOUR HUMOURS
Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician, believed that the human body was composed of four fluids or “humours” which
determined a person’s temperament and personality. These humours were:
1. Blood (Sanguine): cheerful, sociable, optimistic, and passionate
2. Yellow bile (Choleric): ambitious, confident, assertive, and easily angered
3. Black bile (Melancholic): introspective, analytical, serious, and pessimistic
4. Phlegm (Phlegmatic): calm, patient, reliable, and introverted
This theory of personality has been largely discredited, but it has influenced modern personality theories and tests. For example,
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is based on Carl Jung’s theory of personality types, which includes four dichotomies:
extraversion vs. introversion, sensing vs. intuition, thinking vs. feeling, and judging vs. perceiving.
CARL JUNG (1923): INTROVERTS AND EXTRAVERTS
- Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, proposed the concepts of introversion and extraversion in 1923.
- Extraverts are outgoing and sociable individuals who gain energy from interacting with others and enjoy being in social
situations. - Introverts are reserved and introspective individuals who prefer to spend time alone or in small groups, and can feel
drained by too much social interaction. - Jung believed that both introversion and extraversion were essential components of a healthy personality, and that
individuals could possess both qualities to varying degrees. - He also proposed that personality types were determined by four cognitive functions: sensation, intuition, feeling, and
thinking, which could be either introverted or extraverted
MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (1962)
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test developed by Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs based
on Carl Jung’s theory of personality types. The test is used to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the
world and make decisions. The MBTI assesses individuals on four dimensions:
1. Extraversion (E) - Introversion (I): Whether individuals are outgoing and energized by social interactions or prefer quiet
and solitary activities.
2. Sensing (S) - Intuition (N): Whether individuals rely on concrete facts and details or are more focused on possibilities
and abstract ideas.
3. Thinking (T) - Feeling (F): Whether individuals make decisions based on objective analysis or based on their values and
emotions.
4. Judging (J) - Perceiving (P): Whether individuals prefer structure and organization or are more spontaneous and flexible.
The test results in a four-letter code that represents an individual’s dominant preferences. The MBTI has been widely used in
business and personal development, career counselling, and team building. However, it has also been criticized for being
oversimplified, lacking scientific validity, and promoting stereotypes.
KEIRSEY’S (1988) TEMPERAMENT SORTER
Keirsey’s temperament sorter categorizes individuals into one of four temperaments based on their behaviour and preferences:
1. Artisans (SP): People who live in the moment and enjoy spontaneity. They are creative and adaptable but may struggle
with long-term planning and commitment.
2. Guardians (SJ): People who value stability and order. They are responsible and dependable but may struggle with
change and risk-taking.
3. Rationals (NT): People who prioritize logic and reason. They are strategic thinkers and problem solvers but may struggle
with interpersonal communication and emotional intelligence.
4. Idealists (NF): People who value empathy and harmony. They are imaginative and compassionate but may struggle with
decision making and assertiveness.
Keirsey’s temperament sorter is often used in career counseling and team-building exercises to help individuals understand their
strengths and weaknesses and how they can best contribute to a team.
TRAIT THEORIES OF PERSONALITY
EYSENCK’S MODEL OF PERSONALITY (1958)
Hans Eysenck’s model of personality (1958) is a trait theory that proposed that personality is composed of three main
dimensions:
1. Extraversion vs. Introversion: This dimension reflects the degree to which an individual is outgoing and sociable versus
reserved and solitary.
2. Neuroticism vs. Emotional Stability: This dimension reflects the degree to which an individual experiences negative
emotions, such as anxiety, versus positive emotions, such as happiness.
3. Psychoticism vs. Socialization: This dimension reflects the degree to which an individual is aggressive and antisocial
versus empathetic and conforming.
Eysenck believed that these three dimensions could be used to describe and measure the personality of individuals, and his
model has been influential in the development of subsequent personality theories and assessments.
CATTEL’S (1966) 16PF TRAITS
Cattell’s 16 Personality Factor (16PF) theory is a comprehensive personality framework that comprises 16 primary personality
traits. The 16 traits are measured by a standardized questionnaire that assesses the individual’s attitudes, behaviours, and
preferences across a range of situations. The traits identified by Cattell’s theory are:
1. Warmth
2. Reasoning
3. Emotional stability
4. Dominance
5. Liveliness
6. Rule-consciousness
7. Social boldness
8. Sensitivity
9. Vigilance
10. Abstractedness
11. Privateness
12. Apprehension
13. Openness to change
14. Self-reliance
15. Perfectionism
16. Tension
Cattell’s 16PF theory is based on a factor-analytic approach, which seeks to identify the underlying dimensions of personality
that are responsible for observed behaviour. The theory suggests that these 16 traits represent the fundamental building blocks
of personality, and that individuals can be differentiated based on their scores on these traits. The 16PF questionnaire is widely
used in organizational settings, including in employee selection, training, and development.
BIG FIVE (OCEAN) SCALE (MCRAE AND COSTA, 1990, 1996)
The Big Five personality traits are commonly known as the OCEAN model, which stands for Openness to experience,
Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. These traits are believed to be universal across cultures and
have been found to be relatively stable over a person’s lifetime.
NOMOTHETIC APPROACHES IN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
➢ Nomothetic approaches in recruitment and selection refer to using personality tests to evaluate a job candidate’s
personality. However, such tests have low predictive validity ranging from 30-40%, which drops to 15% if the test is selfadministered.
Issues with predictive validity:
➢ Faking answers by candidates: Candidates may try to manipulate their responses to create a favorable impression.
➢ Bias in the language of tests: The tests may be biased towards a particular type of candidate or culture.
➢ Traits not necessarily independent and measurable: Personality traits are complex, and some traits may overlap with
others, making them difficult to measure independently.
Customized job-specific tests:
➢ Some studies suggest that customized, job-specific tests can improve the predictive validity of personality testing in
recruitment and selection.
