Week 2- Trait & Type Theories of Personality

Question 1

What are the 3 Assumptions of Trait Theories?

Answer 1

1. Traits are stable and enduring within a person
2. Traits have some consistency and generality
3. Traits differ from person to person

Question 2

Name the 4 Hippocrates Humours:

Answer 2

1. Sanguine- Blood. Cheerful, Pleasant
2. Choleric- Bile. Hot Tempered. Yellow
3. Phleymatic- Phlegm. Slow, lazy, dull
4. Melancholy- Black Bile. Sad, Depressed

Question 3

Who invented and what are the Blood Type explanation of personality?

Answer 3

Furakwa- 
A= Cautious, Reserved
B=Artistic, Cheery
O= Composed, strong willed 
AB=Creative, Diligent

Question 4

What are the 4 types of Face’s in Face Phrenology?

Answer 4

1. Prominent Forehead- Sequential Thinker
2. Angled Forehead- Man of action
3. Upturned Nose- Trusting
4. Arched Eyebrows- Creative

Question 5

Who said that personality is related to a person’s body type?

Answer 5

Sheldon’s Somatotypes

Question 6

What are the 3 Sheldon’s Somatotypes?

Answer 6

1. Endo- Abdomen + Digestive system. They love relaxation and food. Friendly.
2. Meso- Muscles. Assertive, Energetic and fearless
3. Ecto- Brain. Restraint and Shy

Question 7

What is the difference between a sceptic and a cynic?

Answer 7

A Sceptic is open to all possibilities. A Cynic is someone who doubts human sincerity and merits.

Question 8

What kind of approach did Allport take too defining personality?

Answer 8

Idiographic approach.

Question 9

What did Allport say Propium is?

Answer 9

It is how human behaviour is motivated. It is the internal energy that manifests itself as a trait.

Question 10

What are the three division Allport classified Traits into?

Answer 10

1. Cardinal Traits
2. Central Traits
3. Secondary Traits

Question 11

What kind of approach did Cattell use?

Answer 11

A Nomothetic approach

Question 12

What are the 2 main trait types Cattell defined?

Answer 12

1. Surface Traits

2, Source Traits

Question 13

Who first suggested a Factor model of Traits?

Answer 13

Fiske (1949)

Question 14

What are the positives of The Big 5?

Answer 14

1. Helped to integrate decades of research
2. Good for profiling and categorising people.
3. Stable across cultures and sometimes able to predict performance.

Question 15

Define the two ways in which traits can be defined:

Answer 15

1. Internal- Traits are internal and can lie dormant if the right situation for expression does not present itself.
2. Descriptive- Traits are just descriptive summaries of the attributes a person may have. It just describes a person’s expressed behaviour.

Question 16

What are the two underpinnings of Eysenck’s Biological theory of personality?

Answer 16

1. Heritability- All 3 Super-traits have moderate heritability
2. Identifiable Psychological Substate- One should be able to ID the properties in the CNS that relate to the trait.