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Trait theories of personality

Trait theories of personality. Page 523-534. What are trait theories?.

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Trait theories of personality

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  1. Trait theories of personality Page 523-534

  2. What are trait theories? • Trait theories explain personality by describing individuals as having a number of characteristics or ‘traits’. Trait theorists believe that traits are stable over time and in different situations, and that personality is formed by a number of different traits.

  3. Allport’shierarchy of traits • Gordon Allport devised ‘trait words’ called cardinal traits, central traits and secondary traits. • The three groups were arranged into a hierarchy with the traits he believed to be the most influential at the top (cardinal) and those that have the least influence on behaviour on the bottom (secondary). These traits were determined to describe a person’s personality.

  4. Cattell’s16 personality factor model • Raymond Cattell took Allport’s traits and condensed them using factor analysis. • Through factor analysis Cattell identified 16 personality factors which enabled him to identify two levels of traits, surface and source traits.

  5. Eysenck’strait approach • Eysenck’strait theory supposes that there are two different dimensions or categories of personality, and people sit somewhere on the continuum of each of these. • The first dimension is introversion-extraversion. Individuals closer to the introversion end of this dimension’s continuum tend avoidance of excitement, thoughtfulness, reservation around others. Those toward the extraversion end are generally more talkative,, enjoying parties and the company of many people. • On the second dimension, neuroticism-emotional stability, people on the neuroticism end are more anxious, irritable and moody, compared to the calm, relaxed people on the emotional stability end of the spectrum

  6. Some years after his initial theory, Eysenck added a third dimension, psychoticism. This dimension measures tough-mindedness. A person achieving a high score is generally hostile, aggressive, insensitive to the feelings of others and manipulative. On the opposite or tender-minded end, people are cooperative, friendly and caring. • Eysenck’sapproach is measured on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, in which subjects choose yes or no responses to 630 questions, equally divided to assess the three dimensions (extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism).

  7. Costa and McCrae Five-factor model • Costa and McCrae’s Five-factor model describes five factors of personality traits which include, openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. The model shows the structure of personality but does not explain personality. It is limited in being able to predict behaviour however it is recognised as the most accurate identification and description of human personality traits in contemporary psychology.

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