362 Part IV Dispositional Theories
How many personal dispositions does one individual have? This question cannot
be answered without reference to the degree of dominance that each personal disposi-
tion has in the individual’s life. If we count those personal dispositions that are central
to a person, then each person probably has 10 or fewer. However, if all tendencies are
included, then each person may have hundreds of personal dispositions.Levels of Personal Dispositions
Allport placed personal dispositions on a continuum from those that are most
central to those that are of only peripheral importance to a person.Cardinal Dispositions Some people possess an eminent characteristic or ruling
passion so outstanding that it dominates their lives. Allport (1961) called these
personal dispositions cardinal dispositions. They are so obvious that they cannot
be hidden; nearly every action in a person’s life revolves around this one cardinal
disposition. Most people do not have a cardinal disposition, but those few people
who do are often known by that single characteristic.
Allport identified several historical people and fictional characters who pos-
sessed a disposition so outstanding that they have given our language a new word.
Some examples of these cardinal dispositions include quixotic, chauvinistic, narcis-
sistic, sadistic, a Don Juan, and so forth. Because cardinal dispositions are indi-
vidual and are not shared with any other person, only Don Quixote was truly
quixotic; only Narcissus was completely narcissistic; only the Marquis de Sade
possessed the cardinal disposition of sadism. When these names are used to describe
characteristics in others, they become common traits.Central Dispositions Few people have cardinal dispositions, but everyone has
several central dispositions, which include the 5 to 10 most outstanding charac-
teristics around which a person’s life focuses. Allport (1961) described central
dispositions as those that would be listed in an accurate letter of recommendation
written by someone who knew the person quite well. In the section titled The Study
of the Individual, we will look at a series of letters written to Gordon and Ada
Allport by a woman they called Jenny. The contents of these letters constitute a
rich source of information about the writer. We will also see that three separate
analyses of these letters revealed that Jenny could be described by about eight central
dispositions: that is, characteristics sufficiently strong to be detected by each of these
three separate procedures. Similarly, most people, Allport believed, have 5 to 10
central dispositions that their friends and close acquaintances would agree are
descriptive of that person.Secondary Dispositions Less conspicuous but far greater in number than central
dispositions are the secondary dispositions. Everyone has many secondary dispo-
sitions that are not central to the personality yet occur with some regularity and
are responsible for much of one’s specific behaviors.
The three levels of personal dispositions are, of course, arbitrary points on a
continuous scale from most appropriate to least appropriate. Cardinal dispositions,
which are exceedingly prominent in a person, shade into central dispositions, which
are less dominating but nevertheless mark the person as unique. Central dispositions,
which guide much of a person’s adaptive and stylistic behavior, blend into secondary