Week 2: Trait Models Flashcards
Definition of trait
Broad, enduring, relatively stable characteristics used to assess and explain behaviour
Definition of types
Categorical, all or none tendencies
List the major assumptions of trait theories
- Relatively stable and enduring
- Some consistency and generality for each person
- Individual differences in strength, amount, and number of traits
- Trait theories concerned with understanding how people at different points on the spectrum behave
What differentiates traits from other personality approaches
- interest in personality characteristics in ‘normal’ people
- conscious thought
- personality causes behaviour
- little speculation about ‘why’
- emphasis on degree of difference among people
List the historical type and trait theories
- hippocratic humours
- blood types
- physiognomy and phrenology
- palmistry
- graphology
- numerology
- body types
Discuss the history behind hippocratic humours
Four humours were special fluids assoc. with the four basic elements of nature, thought to permeate the body and influence it’s health. An imbalance of these fluids was thought to affect individual’s personality
List the four humours
- sanguine (blood)
- choleric (yellow bile)
- melancholy (black bile)
- phlegmatic (phlegm)
Describe Sanguine personality
Cheerful, optimistic, pleasant, comfortable with their work, healthful
Describe choleric personality
Quick, hot tempered, aggressive, yellowish complexion, tense
Describe melancholy personality
Pensive, depressed, pessimistic
Describe phlegmatic personality
Slow, lazy, dull, emotionally
Who developed blood type theory
Furakawa
Describe a Type A blood type personality
Cautious, reserved, courteous, prudent
Describe a Type B blood type personality
Artistic, cheery, lively, considerate, not materialistic
Describe a Type C blood type personality
Composed, dispassionate, strong willed, self confident
Discuss theory behind Sheldon’s somatotypes
Personality is related to body shape, and strong development of one body element leads to corresponding personality type
Describe endomorphy
Development of the abdomen and digestive system
Describe mesomorphy
Muscles and circulatory s
Describe ectomorphy
Brain and nervous system
Endotonia
Comfort seeking, enjoys relaxation, food and socialising
Mesotonia
Assertive, action oriented, energetic, fearless
Ectotonia
Private, restrained, self aware, shy, intense
Definition of pseudoscience
A set of ideas or theories put forward as scientific that do not stand up to scientific analysis
List the main important trait theorists
- Gordon Allport
- Raymond Cattell
- Hans Eysenck
- Jeffrey Gray
- Paul Costa and McCrae
- Goldberg
Gordon Allport’s contributions to psychology
- adopted the lexical hypothesis by Galton
- emphasised idiographic (individual) over nomothetic (group) personality aspects
- human behaviour motivated by the proprium