380 Part IV Dispositional Theories
People, however, are not completely free. Allport (1961) adopted a
limited-freedom approach. He was often critical of those views that allow for
absolute freedom, but he also opposed the psychoanalytic and behavioral
views, which he regarded as denying free will. Allport’s position was some-
where in the middle. Although free will exists, some people are more capa-
ble of making choices than are others. A healthy person has more freedom
than does a child or a severely disturbed adult. The high-intelligent, reflec-
tive person has more capacity for free choice than does the low-intelligent,
nonreflective one.
Even though freedom is limited, Allport maintained that it can be
expanded. The more self-insight a person develops, the greater that person’s
freedom of choice. The more objective a person becomes—that is, the more
the blindfolds of self-concern and egotism are removed—the greater that
person’s degree of freedom.
Education and knowledge also expand the amount of freedom we
have. The greater our knowledge is of a particular arena, the broader our
freedom in that area. To have a broad general education means that, to
some extent, one has a wider choice of jobs, recreational activities, reading
materials, and friends.
Finally, our freedom can be expanded by our mode of choosing. If we
stubbornly adhere to a familiar course of action simply because it is more
comfortable, our freedom remains largely restricted. Conversely, if we adopt
an open-minded mode of solving problems, then we broaden our perspec-
tive and increase our alternatives; that is, we expand our freedom to choose
(Allport, 1955).
Allport’s view of humanity is more teleological than causal. Personality, to
some extent, is influenced by past experiences, but the behaviors that make us
human are those that are motivated by our expectations of the future. In other
words, we are healthy individuals to the extent that we set and seek future
purposes and aspirations. Each of us is different from others not so much
because we have different basic drives, but because we have different self-
erected goals and intentions.
The growth of personality always takes place within a social setting,
but Allport placed only moderate emphasis on social factors. He recognized
the importance of environmental influences in helping to shape personality,
but he insisted that personality has some life of its own. Culture can influ-
ence our language, morals, values, fashions, and so forth; but how each of
us reacts to cultural forces depends on our unique personality and our basic
motivation.
In summary, Allport held an optimistic view of humanity, maintaining
that people have at least limited freedom. Human beings are goal oriented,
proactive, and motivated by a variety of forces, most of which are within
their realm of consciousness. Early childhood experiences are of relatively
minor importance and are significant only to the extent that they exist in the
present. Both differences and similarities among people are important, but
individual differences and uniqueness receive far greater emphasis in All-
port’s psychology.