Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionIV. Dispositional Theories 13. Allport: Psychology of
the Individual(^384) © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2009
Allport’s Approach
to Personality Theory
Answers to three interrelated questions reveal Allport’s approach to personality the-
ory: (1) What is personality? (2) What is the role of conscious motivationin person-
ality theory? (3) What are the characteristics of the psychologically healthy person?
What Is Personality?
Few psychologists have been as painstaking and exhaustive as Allport in defining
terms. His pursuit of a definition of personality is classic. He traced the etymology
of the word personaback to early Greek roots, including the Old Latin and Etruscan
meanings. As we saw in Chapter 1, the word “personality” probably comes from per-
sona,which refers to the theatrical mask used in ancient Greek drama by Roman ac-
tors during the first and second centuries B.C.E. After tracing the history of the term,
Allport spelled out 49 definitions of personality as used in theology, philosophy, law,
sociology, and psychology. He then offered a 50th definition, which in 1937 was “the
dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that de-
termine his unique adjustments to his environment”(Allport, 1937, p. 48). In 1961,
he had changed the last phrase to read “that determine his characteristic behavior
and thought”(Allport, 1961, p. 28). The change was significant and reflected All-
port’s penchant for accuracy. By 1961, he realized that the phrase “adjustments to his
environment” could imply that people merely adapt to their environment. In his later
definition, Allport conveyed the idea that behavior is expressiveas well as adaptive.
People not only adjust to their environment, but also reflect on it and interact with it
in such a way as to cause their environment to adjust to them.
Allport chose each phrase of his definition carefully so that each word conveys
precisely what he wanted to say. The term dynamic organizationimplies an integra-
tion or interrelatedness of the various aspects of personality. Personality is organized
and patterned. However, the organization is always subject to change: hence, the
qualifier “dynamic.” Personality is not a static organization; it is constantly growing
or changing. The term psychophysicalemphasizes the importance of both the psy-
chological and the physical aspects of personality.
Another word in the definition that implies action is determine,which suggests
that “personality is something and does something” (Allport, 1961, p. 29). In other
words, personality is not merely the mask we wear, nor is it simply behavior. It refers
to the individual behind the facade, the person behind the action.
By characteristic,Allport wished to imply “individual” or “unique.” The word
“character” originally meant a marking or engraving, terms that give flavor to what
Allport meant by “characteristic.” All persons stamp their unique mark or engraving
on their personality, and their characteristic behavior and thought set them apart
from all other people. Characteristics are marked with a unique engraving, a stamp
or marking, that no one else can duplicate. The words behavior andthoughtsimply
refer to anything the person does. They are omnibus terms meant to include internal
behaviors (thoughts) as well as external behaviors such as words and actions.
Allport’s comprehensive definition of personality suggests that human beings
are both product and process; people have some organized structure while, at the
378 Part IV Dispositional Theories