Theories of Personality 9th Edition

Chapter 12 Allport: Psychology of the Individual 381

Key Terms and Concepts

∙ (^) Allport was eclectic in his acceptance of ideas from a variety of sources.
∙ (^) He defined personality as the dynamic organization within the individual
of those psychophysical systems that determine a person’s behavior and
thought.
∙ (^) Psychologically healthy people are motivated largely by conscious
processes; have an extended sense of self; relate warmly to others;
accept themselves for who they are; have a realistic perception of the
world; and possess insight, humor, and a unifying philosophy of life.
∙ (^) Allport advocated a proactive position, one that emphasized the notion
that people have a large measure of conscious control over their lives.
∙ (^) Common traits are general characteristics held in common by many
people. They may be useful for comparing one group of people with
another.
∙ (^) Individual traits (personal dispositions) are peculiar to the individual and
have the capacity to render different stimuli functionally equivalent and
to initiate and guide behavior.
∙ (^) Three levels of personal dispositions are (1) cardinal dispositions, which
only a few people possess and which are so conspicuous that they
cannot be hidden; (2) central dispositions, the 5 to 10 individual traits
that make a person unique; and (3) secondary dispositions, which are
less distinguishable but far more numerous than central dispositions.
∙ (^) Personal dispositions that initiate actions are called motivational traits.
∙ (^) Personal dispositions that guide actions are called stylistic traits.
∙ (^) The proprium refers to those behaviors and personal dispositions that are
warm and central to our lives and that we regard as peculiarly our own.
∙ (^) Functional autonomy refers to motives that are self-sustaining and
independent from the motives that were originally responsible for a
behavior.
∙ (^) Perseverative functional autonomy refers to those habits and behaviors
that are not part of one’s proprium.
∙ (^) Propriate functional autonomy includes all those self-sustaining
motivations that are related to the proprium.
∙ Allport used morphogenic procedures, such as diaries and letters, which
stress patterns of behavior within a single individual.