Textbook Chapter 7 Flashcards
trait theorists focus on…
identifying relatively stable features of personality
that distinguish you from other people
trait theory started off with…
typology systems
ie. Greek typology system
Greek typology system
divided all people into 4 types
- sanguine (happy)
- melancholic (unhappy)
- choleric (temperamental)
- phlegmatic (apathetic)
physique-based typology
diffs in physical appearance translated into diffs in personality
- endomorphic (obese)
- mesomorphic (muscular)
- ectomorphic (fragile)
typology systems have…
largely been abandoned
faulty assumptions:
- assume everyone fits into one personality category
- and that each category member is basically alike
- and that the behaviour of all people in one category is distinct from those in another category
3 arguments of trait psychologists
- any personality trait can be illustrated on a continuum (from extremely low in trait to extremely high in trait)
- any person can be placed somewhere along the continuum for every trait
- if we measure a large number of people and place their scores on the continuum, would find all scores create a normal distribution
trait
dimension of personality used to categorize people according to degree to which they manifest a particular characteristic
2 important assumptions of trait approach
- personality traits are relatively STABLE OVER TIME
(not to say that personalities don’t change - research has found they develop from adulthood through to old age, but changes are gradual)
- personality traits are relatively STABLE ACROSS SITUATIONS
trait researchers aren’t interested in what? what do they look at instead?
aren’t interested in PREDICTING behaviour in GIVEN SITUATIONS
they focus instead on predicting how people who score within a certain segment of the continuum TYPICALLY BEHAVE
rather than singling out individuals, they try to find out how the AVERAGE PERSON on EACH SCORE of the continuum would behave
significance of person’s score on trait measure lies in…
how it compares with other people
have schools of psychotherapy emerged from trait approach to personality?
no (unlike the psychoanalytic, cognitive, behaviourist approaches)
its findings are more useful to therapists making diagnoses and charting therapy progress
more ACADEMIC than therapeutic implications
Gordon Allport quote on dispositions
“dispositions are never wholly consistent. what a bore it would be if they were - and what chaos if they were not at all consistent”
book published by Gordon and Floyd Allport
Personality Traits: Their Classification and Measurement
Gordon Allport
he developed the first recognized work on traits
taught first college course on personality in the US
he acknowledged the limitations of trait concept from the beginning
Gordon Allport: from beginning, he acknowledged…
limitations of the trait concept
- accepted that behaviour is influenced by variety of ENVIRONMENTAL factors
- recognized that traits AREN’T USEFUL in PREDICTING what a single individual will do
Allport’s 2 research strategies when investigating personality
- nomothetic approach
- idiographic approach
nomothetic approach
assumes all people can be described along SINGLE DIMENSION according to their LEVEL of a trait
each person is tested to see how their score for a given trait COMPARES with scores of other participants
nomothetic approach tests what kind of traits?
COMMON traits
^ those that presumably apply to everyone
Allport thoughts on nomothetic approach
that it’s INDISPENSABLE for understanding human personality
idiographic approach
identify the UNIQUE COMBO of traits that BEST ACCOUNTS for personality of a single individual
5-10 traits that best describe one’s personality are called CENTRAL TRAITS
also CARDINAL TRAITS
central traits
in the idiographic approach, the 5-10 traits that BEST DESCRIBE someone’s personality
number of central traits varies from person to person
cardinal trait
rare individuals have personalities dominated by a SINGLE TRAIT
when a behaviour becomes synonymous with an individual
ie. Machiavellian, Homeric, Don Juans
advantage of idiographic approach
the PERSON, not the researcher, DETERMINES what traits to examine
con of nomothetic approach
traits selected by the investigator might be central for some people, but only SECONDARY for others
test score of someone’s sociability isn’t of great value when sociability isn’t a central trait of a person
won’t result in a great assessment of their personality