Semantic and behavioural approaches

Question 1

What is the semantic approach to personality?

Answer 1

It assumes that the underlying MEANING of trait terms identify the individual differences that are important.
Based on the lexical hypothesis

Question 2

How did Gordon Allport contribute to personality theories?

Answer 2

• founder of academic field of personality
• first paper on trait approach: proposed distinction between idiographic (unique) and nomothetic (universal) focus
• viewed humans as ACTIVE agents
• founder of the LEXICAL approach

Question 3

How did Raymond Cattell contribute to personality theories?

Answer 3

• introduced factor analysis (first psychometric questionnaire)
• came up with 16 primary and independent factors of personality
• proposed State-Trait dichotomy
• founder of the multivariate experimental psychology

Question 4

What are some of the semantic approaches to personality?

Answer 4

• the Big 5
• HEXACO (Big 6)
• the Big 2 (stability/neuroplasticity)
• The Big 1 (general factor of personality; emotional stability instead of neuroticism –> high scores on factors good, low scores bad)

Question 5

What are some strengths and weakness to the semantic approach?

Answer 5

STRENGTHS:
- clarifies what is meant by trait terms
- useful taxonomy (differentiates between terms that are more or less general)
- good predictive validity for general outcomes (career & r/s success, criminal deviance) & easy to apply
WEAKNESSES:
- can only describe regularities in the way that human behaviour and experience is described
(cannot identify what trait terms actually refer to; cannot prove existence of personality traits)
- poor predictive validity for specific behaviour (aren’t able to understand why individuals behave and experience the world as they do).