Trait theory—Atraitis a relatively permanent characteristic of our personality that
can be used to predict our behavior.
Gordon Allport’s trait theory proposed three levels of traits:
- Cardinal trait—defining characteristic, in a small number of us, that dominates
and shapes all of our behavior. - Central trait—general characteristic; between 5 and 10 of these shape much
of our behavior. - Secondary trait—a characteristic apparent in only certain situations. Our unique
pattern of traits determines our behavior.
Hans Eysenck used three genetically influenced dimensions to describe personality. He
usedfactor analysis,a statistical procedure that identifies common factors among
groups of items, to determine his three dimensions:
- Extroversion (alsoextraversion)—measures our sociability and tendency to pay
attention to the external environment, as opposed to our private mental experiences. - Neuroticism—measures our level of instability—how moody, anxious, and unreli-
able we are—as opposed to stability—how calm, even-tempered, and reliable we are. - Psychoticism—measures our level of tough-mindedness—how hostile, ruthless,
and insensitive we are—as opposed to tender-mindedness—how friendly, empathetic,
and cooperative we are.
Raymond Cattell studied surface traits—hundreds of visible areas of personality. He
developed a list of sixteen basic traits, source traits,that underlie personality charac-
teristics. His Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire(16 PF) yields trait profiles of
personality.
Paul Costa and Robert McCrae used factor analysis to identify five broad dimensions
of personality. Five-factor model of personality, nicknamed “The Big Five,” includes
the traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
Assessment techniques to measure personality:
- Unstructured interviewsinvolve informal conversation centered on the individual.
- Structured interviewsinvolve the interviewer posing a series of planned questions that
the interviewee answers. - Behavioral assessments—record the frequency of specific behaviors in an observation.
- Psychoanalysts use projective personality tests—presenting ambiguous stimuli,
such as inkblots or pictures, with the assumption that test takers will project their
unconscious thoughts or feelings onto the stimuli. Examples are Rorschach inkblot
test and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). - Self-report methods, the most common personality assessment techniques, involve
answering a series of questions, such as a personality questionnaire, or supplying
information about himself or herself.
Jung’s personality types are measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
Cattell’s personality traits are measured by the 16 PF.
Rotter’s locus of control is measured by the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale.
Maslow’s self-actualization is measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory.
Rogers’s congruence between the actual self and ideal self is measured by the Q-sort.
MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2)—567 true-false items.
Patterns of responses reveal personality dimensions.
NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) and the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ)—assess
personality based on the five-factor model in healthy people; used in cross-cultural
research.
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