Personality traits Flashcards
what type of thinking does personality traits encourgage
encourages dichotomous and polarised thinking; you either ‘are’ [ perhaps always and in every way] or you ‘are not’
Jung’s “types”
-
more introverted than extraverted
- dominant concern with internal objects of knowledge, i.e. the self
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more extraverted than introverted
- dominant concern with external objects of knowledge, ie the world
- both ‘types use [all] four functions
Jung’s function
Sensing [≈ perception]
Thinking [≈ logic]
Intuiting [≈ via UCs]
Feeling [≈ evaluation/judgement]
four dynamics by which all ppl know themselves and the world [with more or less ease and comfort]
myers & Briggs
- modified and extended ‘Jung’s’ ideas
- paired and contrasted SENSATION vs INTUITION, and THINKING vs FEELING, and added JUDGING vs PERCEPTION
- mixed in INTROVERSION vs EXTRAVERSION
- categorised ppl according to ‘which side’ dominated for each of these ‘alternatives’
contrpversy of MBIT test
-
NOT RELIABLE
- test-retest reliability shocking
-
NOT VALID
- no evidence of 16 types
- the types predict little
-
NOT COMPREHENSIVE
- missing, eg emotional stability, conscientiousness
-
NOT INDEPENDENT
- easy to be high in ‘opposite’ functions, eg, thinking and feeling
definition of traits
dimensions of personality on which individuals vary
eg everyone is introvert and extrovert to some extent, likely to differ across situations, but nevertheless differ on balance [ie averaging across time and situations] relative to other individuals
the gist of traits
- Personal (‘internal’) rather than situational (‘external’)
- Stable rather than transitory (across time)
- Consistent rather than inconsistent (across ‘similar’ situations)
- Can be relatively broad or narrow (across ‘different’ situations)
- Potentially universal dimensions: Individual differences (across people)
what are allports non-common traits
3 listed
- cardinal traits
- central traits
- secondary traits
cardinal traits
allports non-common traits
Single defining traits that (rarely) characterise some individuals, e.g., Machiavellian. A bit like types!
central traits
allports non-common traits
Typically, 5-10 traits: “those usually mentioned in careful letters of recommendation … or in brief verbal descriptions of a person”, e.g., “helpful”
secondary traits
allports non-common traits
like central traits but more specific to particular stimuli, responses, or situations, eg ‘works well in a team’
factor analysis [FA]
- The principal statistical method of most trait theorists
- Data-reduction of literally thousands of possible individual difference/personality descriptors
- Possible identification of key indicators of ‘human nature’
correlation
as a method
If two measures “correlate”, they have a ‘linear’ relationship with each other, such that if scores on one measure go up, scores on the other measure also tend to go up (“positive correlation”) or go down (“negative correlation”)
factor analysis
as a method
One method of finding patterns among lots of variables
- Looks for clusters of measures that correlate strongly with each other but less so with other measures
- Imagine scoring me out of 10 on each of the following:humour, fun, giggles, tidiness, order, and presentation
- Scores for the first 3 would probably correlate with eachother, and so would scores for the latter 3, but scores on the first 3 would probably correlate less with scores on the latter 3 (especially if you asked lots of people for scores)
methods; measures [not] included in FA
- clusters of measures are nearly inevitable if those measures are almost identical
- clusters of measures can only be found for measures that have been included
method: findings unsurprising if ‘rigged’
Replication’ of factors is weak support for the existence of ‘real’ entities if the ‘input’ data is specifically constrained in ways that increase the likelihood of those factors being ‘found’
Raymond Cattell’s 16PF
In various analyses, Cattell factor analysed “representative” items from Allport & Odbert’s list, supplemented by specialist jargon he felt was important and missing
- From among various solutions, he created the 16PF (among other measures)
Hans Eysenck’s ‘Big Two’
Hans Eysenck’s “Big Two” model of personality includes:
- Extraversion-Introversion: Measures sociability; extraverts are outgoing, while introverts are reserved.
- Neuroticism-Stability: Assesses emotional stability; high neuroticism indicates anxiety and moodiness, while low neuroticism reflects calmness.
Eysenck’s model highlights the biological basis of these traits.
Eysenck’s big 3 [PEN] model
Eysenck’s “Big Three” model, also known as the PEN model, includes:
- Psychoticism: Reflects traits such as aggressiveness, creativity, and a lack of empathy. High psychoticism is associated with being tough-minded and antisocial.
- Extraversion: Measures sociability and assertiveness. Extraverts are outgoing and energetic, while introverts are more reserved and introspective.
- Neuroticism: Assesses emotional stability. High neuroticism indicates anxiety and emotional instability, while low neuroticism suggests resilience and calmness.
This model emphasizes the biological underpinnings of personality traits.
Costa & McCrae’s Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality traits
Openness [seeking and tolerant]
Conscientiousness [Ordered and Persistent]
Extraversion [Exuberant and Sociable]
Agreeableness [caring and considerate]
Neuroticism [Neurotic]
comprehensiveness
The claim that the FFM is comprehensive does not mean that it exhaustively measures individual differences in personality, any more than a comprehensive examination asks every single question a student should be able to answer on a topic. What the model hypothesizes is that almost every personality trait is substantially related to one or more of the five factors, and that any remaining traits…form a miscellaneous category rather than covarying to define a sixth or subsequent factor (p. 218, f. 1)
validity
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multiply recovered
- Schmitt et al [2007]… J cross-cultural Psychology, 38[2], 173-212
-
neuroscience support
- DeYoung et al. [2010]… psychological science, 21[6], 820-8]
- convergence
conclusions
- a useful, global, broad- brush hierchial taxonomy
- largely descriptive of manifest characteristics
- explanation and prediction tricky unless in borders on the tautological/circular
Facets of agreeableness
6
Agreeableness is a personality trait characterized by several facets:
- Trust: Believing in the honesty and good intentions of others.
- Morality: Valuing fairness and ethical behavior, avoiding manipulation.
- Altruism: Showing concern for others and a willingness to help.
- Cooperation: Preferring collaboration over competition in social situations.
- Modesty: Being humble and unpretentious, not seeking to elevate oneself.
- Sympathy: Feeling compassion and empathy towards others’ feelings.
Overall, agreeableness reflects a person’s tendency to be kind, cooperative, and compassionate.
HEXACO personality traits and facets
The HEXACO model includes six traits, each with facets:
- Honesty-Humility: Sincerity, fairness, greed avoidance, modesty.
- Emotionality: Emotional sensitivity, fearfulness, dependence, sentimentality.
- eXtraversion: Social self-esteem, sociability, assertiveness, activity level.
- Agreeableness: Forgivingness, gentleness, flexibility, patience.
- Conscientiousness: Organization, diligence, perfectionism, prudence.
- Openness to Experience: Fantasy, aesthetics, feelings, actions, ideas, values.
The model highlights the importance of honesty and humility in personality.
mean level stability/change
- The average of a cohort’s trait score(s) compared across time
- On average, people within a cohort will increase in ____ and decrease in ____
- A “variable centred” concept/measure
rank order stability/change
-
The average of people’s traits scores relative to other people’s trait scores across time.
- On average, a person high in a trait relative to their peers at t1will be high in that trait relative to their peers at t2
- A “variable centred” concept/measure
McAdams [1993]
study
- level 1: dispositional traits
- potentially unchanging biology [basic tendencies]
- level 2 : personal concerns
- enduring but developing motivational and strategic individual concerns [characteristric adaptions]
- level 3 : life narrative
- actively choosing a meaningful life story
individual personality change
- context effects
- with friends or parents; awake or asleep
- life changing events
- trauma, dementia etc
- dissociative identity disorder
-
DSM-V personality psychopathology
A hybrid dimensional-categorical model:
-
Six - ten specific personality disorder types, including antisocial, diagnosed with…
- Multiple traits, including negative affectivity, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition vs. compulsivity, and psychoticism
a type of traits [antisocial personality type]
antisocial personality type split into 1. antagonism 2. disinhibition
Antagonsim:
* manipulativeness
* deceitfullness
* hositility
* callousness -> 1. agressiveness 2. sadism 3. low compassion 4, low remorse
Disinhibition
* irresponsibility
* imulsiveness
* risk-taking
