Gordon Allport

1. Gordon Allport 1897 - 1967

2. Gordon Allport - bio • Born in Indiana, grew up in Cleveland • Attended Harvard – majored in Economics and Philosophy • Taught English and Sociology in Constantinople, Turkey • Meeting with Freud was a turning point • Ph.D. – in Psychology, 1922 – dissertation was the first to deal with “traits”

3. Bio (cont). • Taught first course in Personality at Harvard (1924) • Also wrote about prejudice and religion • President of APA – 1939 • APA Distinguished Scientific Contribution – 1964 • Considered the “Dean” of American Personality study

4. Definition of “Trait” • “…a neuro-psychic structure having the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent and to initiate and guide equivalent (meaningfully consistent) forms of adaptive and expressive behavior.” • i.e., a trait is a predisposition to act in the same way in a wide range of situations

5. Trait Approach to Personality • Consistent reaction patterns of an individual can be predicted from knowing person’s personality traits • Trait: basic limited set of adjective dimensions which describe and scale individuals • 18,000 adjectives (Allport)

6. Gordon Allport • Defined Personality as: • “The dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behaviors and thoughts”-organization within an individual • Each person has unique key qualities • Emphasized traits-Freud emphasized instinctual drives

7. Functionally Equivalent-Allport • A trait is an internal structure that renders many stimuli functionally equivalent and can guide equivalent forms of adaptive and expressive behavior. • Regularities in Thoughts, feelings & actions arise: • because individual views many situations and stimuli in same way • Many of individual’s behaviors are similar in meaning-functionally equivalent • Consistencies=common traits & personal dispositions

8. “Traits” of Traits • A trait has more than nominal existence • A trait is more generalized than a habit • A trait is dynamic, or at least deterministic of behavior • A trait’s existence may be established empirically • A trait is only relatively independent of other traits

9. “Traits” of Traits (cont.) • A trait is not synonymous with moral or social judgment • A trait may be viewed in light of either the personality that contains it or its distribution in the population at large. • Acts, or even habits, that are inconsistent with a trait are not proof of the nonexistence of the trait

10. Common Traits-Allport • Traits that people in a population share due to common biological & cultural heritage which are basic dimensions • These people have common organizing structures • Allport discounted its value in understanding personality

11. Personal Dispositions - Allport • Trait-a generalized neuropsychic structure peculiar to an individual • No two personalities are alike • Idiographic methods take into account each person’s uniqueness e.g.: interviews, behavioral observations, Q-sorts, flexible self-reports-identifies the differences between people-takes into account each persons personal disposition

12. Cardinal Dispositions - Allport • Personal disposition which exerts overwhelming influence on behavior • Ruling passions of life • Albert Schweitzer’s reverence for life • Ralph Nader’s passion for environment • Tiger Wood’s passion for golf

13. Central Dispositions - Allport • Personality is organized around several central dispositions which are qualities or characteristics which can succinctly describe a person • It is incomplete to just seek general laws for all person

14. Secondary Dispositions • Traits that are less conspicuous, less generalized, less consistent • Ex: preferences, attitudes • You have to know person very well to discern secondary dispositions

15. Proprium - Allport • Core of the personality • One’s own or one’s self • Under the layers of our human psyche is an irreducible core that defines who we are

16. Propriate Functions 1. Sense of Bodily Self – distinguishing self from other objects 2. Sense of Self-Identity – recognition of self as a distinct point of reference 3. Sense of Self-Esteem – feeling of pride from accomplishments 4. Sense of Self-Extension – other people and possessions recognized as extentions of the self

17. Propriate Functions (cont.) 5. Self-Image – sense of how others view him/her 6. Sense of Self as Rational Coper – solving problems through rational thought 7. Propriate Striving – making long-term plans and goals – a sense of purpose

18. Self-as-Knower Transcends and synthesizes all the propriate functions – the subjective self The unique human capacity for self-recognition and self-consciousness

19. Functional Autonomy • Traits which have become independent of their origins in childhood • Childhood might be root of the trait or tendency but do not continue to influence the tendency in adulthood • It is not necessary to unearth where tendency or trait which dominates a person’s life originated in order to help person deal with the troubling tendency

20. Perseverative Functional Autonomy Refers to feedback mechanisms in the nervous system that are governed by simple neurological principles. Become neurologically self-maintaining over time and help keep the organism “on-track” Inclinations for people to satisfy their drives in familiar and routine ways

21. Propriate Functional Autonomy The person’s acquired interests, values, attitudes & intentions The master system of motivation that imparts consistency to the person’s striving for a congruent self-image and a higher level of maturity and growth

22. The Mature Personality Functionally Autonomous Motivated by conscious processes 6 Attributes: 1. A widely extended sense of self 2. Capacity for warm social interactions 3. Demonstrates emotional security and self-acceptace

23. The Mature Personality (cont.) 4. Demonstrates realistic perception, skills and assignments (sees things as they really are) 5. Demonstrates self-insight and humor 6. Has a unifying philosophy of life (may be religion, or anything that gives meaning to one’s life)