Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionIV. Dispositional Theories 13. Allport: Psychology of
the Individual(^386) © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2009
autonomous than unhealthy people, who remain dominated by unconscious motives
that spring from childhood experiences.
Healthy people ordinarily have experienced a relatively trauma-free childhood,
even though their later years may be tempered by conflict and suffering. Psycholog-
ically healthy individuals are not without the foibles and idiosyncrasies that make
them unique. Also, age is not a requisite for maturity, although healthy persons seem
to become more mature as they get older.
What, then, are the more specific requirements for psychological health? All-
port (1961) identified six criteria for the mature personality.
The first is an extension of the sense of self.Mature people continually seek to
identify with and participate in events outside themselves. They are not self-centered
but are able to become involved in problems and activities that are not centered on
themselves. They develop an unselfish interest in work, play, and recreation. Social
interest (Gemeinschaftsgefühl), family, and spiritual life are important to them.
Eventually, these outside activities become part of one’s being. Allport (1961)
summed up this first criterion by saying: “Everyone has self-love, but only self-
extension is the earmark of maturity” (p. 285).
Second, mature personalities are characterized by a “warm relating of self to
others”(Allport, 1961, p. 285). They have the capacity to love others in an intimate
and compassionate manner. Warm relating, of course, is dependent on people’s abil-
ity to extend their sense of self. Only by looking beyond themselves can mature peo-
ple love others nonpossessively and unselfishly. Psychologically healthy individuals
treat other people with respect, and they realize that the needs, desires, and hopes of
others are not completely foreign to their own. In addition, they have a healthy sex-
ual attitude and do not exploit others for personal gratification.
A third criterion is emotional securityor self-acceptance.Mature individuals
accept themselves for what they are, and they possess what Allport (1961) called
emotional poise. These psychologically healthy people are not overly upset when
things do not go as planned or when they are simply “having a bad day.” They do not
dwell on minor irritations, and they recognize that frustrations and inconveniences
are a part of living.
Fourth, psychologically healthy people also possess a realistic perceptionof
their environment. They do not live in a fantasy world or bend reality to fit their own
wishes. They are problem oriented rather than self-centered, and they are in touch
with the world as most others see it.
A fifth criterion is insight and humor.Mature people know themselves and,
therefore, have no need to attribute their own mistakes and weaknesses to others.
They also have a nonhostile sense of humor, which gives them the capacity to laugh
at themselves rather than relying on sexual or aggressive themes to elicit laughter
from others. Allport (1961) believed that insight and humor are closely related and
may be aspects of the same thing, namely self-objectification. Healthy individuals
see themselves objectively. They are able to perceive the incongruities and absurdi-
ties in life and have no need to pretend or to put on airs.
The final criterion of maturity is a unifying philosophy of life.Healthy people
have a clear view of the purpose of life. Without this view, their insight would be
empty and barren, and their humor would be trivial and cynical. The unifying phi-
losophy of life may or may not be religious, but Allport (1954, 1963), on a personal
380 Part IV Dispositional Theories