Topic 2: Trait theories

Question 1

Trait characteristics

Answer 1

1. stable over time
2. differ across individuals
3. influence behavior

Question 2

Correlation between trait and behavior

Answer 2

Don’t correlate well.
In a study by Mischel, traits and behavior correlated 0.3, meaning only 9% of the time could a trait be accounted for predicting behavior

Question 3

Why are traits important

Answer 3

1. show both change and continuity over time.
   ex. If Rachel is higher than most others on agreeableness at age 18, then she will be higher than most others on agreeableness at age 50.
2. the changes in traits are often systematic for most people:
   - with age: grow more agreeable and conscientious, less neurotic
   -openness more stabile until age 50, then decreases steadily
   -extraversion:
   split into 1. social vitality (sociability, positive emotion)
   goes up in adolescence, fall at age 25, stabilize, fall again at age 25
3. social dominance (assurance and agency)
   goes up in adolescence/early adulthood and then stabilizes

Question 4

Nomothetic views of traits

Answer 4

The trait is in the same way in every person.
It is the profile of the person, the unique way the person score on each trait dimension makes up the uniqueness within a person.

Question 5

Ideographic view view of traits

Answer 5

Traits differs in every person.

A trait can only be possessed by one person, because each person is unique

Question 6

Criticism of trait views by Mischel

Answer 6

Criticized the traits views on the basis of low correlation (0.3) between trait measure and behavior
Gave rise to several trait theories.

Question 7

Situationism (trait theory)

Answer 7

1. concept of personality should not be considered
2. situation determine behavior (and not personality)
3. emphasizes the role of environment: situational variables overwhelm the effects of personality
4. behavior and traits are measured in different ways, making them difficult to compare (Funder and Ozer)

Question 8

Interactionism (trait theory)

Endler and Magnusson

Answer 8

1. traits and situations interact to influence behavior
2. “analysis of variance” used to understand how two variables influence the outcome
3. Three sources influence behavior:
   a. trait

b. situation (one person can be influenced by one specific situation, while another person is not affected

c. trait and situation interact
e. g. stress causes extraverts to reach out, while introverts seek solitude

strong situation: does not permit expression of personality
e.g. bootcamp

weak situation: allows easy expression of personality
e.g. college squad on sunday afternoon

Question 9

Interactionism becomes a new trait view

Answer 9

Context-dependent expression of personality
-whether or not trait influence behavior varies from setting to setting (a trait does not operate all the time, only in relevant settings)

Question 10

Verbal hedges

Answer 10

Mishcel, CAPS model

hedge: a word that limits a traits applicability
e. g. sky with strangers, aggressive when teased

Question 11

Interactionism continued

Answer 11

• traits are patterns of linkages between situation and action
• in situation x action y is likely to occur
• a given action is only performed when the situation elicits it
• behavior is only consistent in situations that seem similar to the person

Question 12

Behavioral signature

Answer 12

• even if two people tend toward same type of behavior, the situations that elicit the behavior may be different
  i. e. despite having the same trait, people will act differently in many situations
• may be a way for idiographic traits to exist

Question 13

Behavior and trait dimensions

Answer 13

Interactionism allows for people to display behavior from opposite ends of the trait dimension
e.g. introvert who in a few situations act extrovert, even though he is mostly introverted

Fleeson: Most people display entire range of a trait dimension

Question 14

Criticism of trait theories

Answer 14

1. say little about how personality works -how a person goes from trait to action -does not give information about why the person act the way s/he does
2. does not present the whole picture of the person, just one angle
3. uses circular explanations: the behavior is used to explain the trait, and the behavior is explained by the trait

Question 15

Comparing individuals: personality profiles

Answer 15

1. Nomothetic trait personality
   - assumes everyone can be placed somewhere along each trait dimension
   - create specific profiles, which describes the person’s place in the trait dimension
   - describes what he is like, and how he will act
2. Nomothetic research
   - the profile is where the uniqueness lies
   - every person has a unique combinations of traits, making everyone different

Question 16

Gordon Allport on personality

Answer 16

3 main characteristics for personality:
1. dynamic organization: personality consists of parts working as a whole. This whole is always moving and changing.

2. psychophysical systems: biological factors do also influence our personality
3. determinative: traits are not just predictor’s of behavior; they actually determine behavior
   - -> Circular reasoning

Personality is always moving, but consistent, while behavior may vary from situation to situation

Every personality is unique: major emphasis on the uniqueness of each individual

Traits make up your personality

Question 17

Traits

Answer 17

1. often aroused in one situation and not the other
2. personal characteristic
3. stay generally the same over time
4. resistant to change
5. influenced by: childhood experiences, current environment, and interaction between these two
6. observed from peoples behavior
7. IF everybody has different traits, or different degrees of the same traits was not answered by Allport
8. personal vs common traits: