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Trait Theories

Trait Theories. Focus on the here and now How do our personalities differ along certain qualities/traits?. Personality Traits. Traits are relatively stable and consistent personal characteristics Honest, dependable, moody, impulsive

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Trait Theories

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  1. Trait Theories Focus on the here and now How do our personalities differ along certain qualities/traits?

  2. Personality Traits • Traitsare relatively stable and consistent personal characteristics • Honest, dependable, moody, impulsive • Trait personality theories suggest that a person can be described on the basis of some number of personality traits • Allport identified some 4,500 traits • Cattel used factor analysis to identify 30-35 basic traits • Statistical analysis that identifies groups of related objects • Eysenck argued there are 3 distinct traits in personality • Extraversion/introversion • Neuroticism • Psychotocism

  3. Gordon Allport (1897-1967) • Founder of the trait theory of personality • As a 22 year old psychology student, interviewed Sigmund Freud • Thought he was way to preoccupied with hidden motives! • Concerned less with explaining individual traits and more with describing them

  4. Can Biology Affect Personality? • Brain-imaging procedures show that extraverts seek stimulation because their normal brain arousal is relatively low • Genes also influence our temperament and behavioral style • Differences in children’s shyness and inhibition may be attributed to autonomic nervous system reactivity

  5. The Big Five • Places people on a continuum of five trait dimensions • Have found these traits to be common across cultures • How stable are these traits? • Quite stable in adulthood, although can vary over entire course of development • How heritable are they? • Individual differences in personality can be attributed to genes 50% of the time • Do they predict other personal attributes? • Yes • Highly conscientious people earn better grades (hs and college); More likely to be morning types • If one partner scores lower than the other on agreeableness, stability, and openness, marital and sexual satisfaction may suffer

  6. The Big Five

  7. Evaluating Trait Perspective • Traits are not good predictors of behavior • Traits may be enduring, but behavior varies according to situation • However, average behavior remains the same • Traits matter! • Personality differences among dogs are as evident as personality differences among humans! • Trait theory does not provide an explanation as to why traits develop

  8. How Do We Assess Personality? • Personality Inventories • Questionnaires covering a wide range of feelings and behaviors • Often True/False • Big Five: NEO-PI-R • Most famous: Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) • Assesses “abnormal” personality tendencies rather than normal personality traits • Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) • Used mainly for counseling, leadership training, work-team development • Not as popular in other realms (like research)

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