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Trait conceptions of Personality - Coggle Diagram
Trait conceptions of Personality
The trait perspective of personality explores your personality traits and how many traits you have
Trait approach to personality
An approach the emphasises psychological characteristics, known as trait, that define the individuals as a person
seeks to describe the differences and similarities between people based on traits
Gordon Allport:
he found 18000 words to describe other people. Later reduced to pool of 4000 traits terms
Organised them into a hierarchy of 3 levels by how they determine behaviour
Cardinal trait:
highest level
so pervasive and dominant it influences behaviour (mother theresa)
Central trait:
traits you would describe yourself(e.g. competitiveness, generosity
Secondary Trait:
more superficial level
affect behaviour in fewer situations under certain conditions and are less consistent
Hans Eysenck
Believed personality is a result of genetic inheritance
Dimensions of Personality
he described personality as a relationship between 3 basic types of traits
Extraversion- introversion
Neuroticism- Stability
Psychotism - Impulse control
Raymond Cattell
identified two levels of trait
Surface traits
that are on the surface of personality
Can be inferred from observations of behaviour
argued these were inter-related and appeared in clusters or groups
Source traits
the surface traits formed as representatives of an underlying source trait
some is reserved and quite- this reflects her source that of introversion
identified 16 key source traits using a complex statistical procedure called factor analysis
16 personality factor
from this he developed a personality test that used 185 yes/no questions that would provide information on each of the 16 personality source trait
this 16PF questionnaire provides a useful profile of the individual personality and enable comparison between two or more individuals
Five-factor model (OCEAN)
Named after 5 board personality factors that have consistently been found in research studies
Especially studies using factor analysis to determine how traits can be grouped together to represent underlying patterns or factors
openness
Imaginative, curious, intellectual, open to non-traditional values vs conforming, practical, conventional
Conscientiousness
Reliable, responsible, self-disciplined, ethical, hardworking ambitious vs disorganised, unreliable, lax, impulsive, carless
Extraversion
Outgoing friendly enthusiastic fun-loving vs solitary shy serious reserved
Agreeableness
Sensitive warm tolerant easy to get along with concerned with others feelings and needs vs cold suspicious hostile callous
Neuroticism
Proneness to anxiety worry guilt emotional instability vs relaxed calm secure emotionally stable
Strengths
Has intuitive appeal
Commonly use trait terms when describing own and others personality
useful- provides convenient categories or grouping traits that people commonly have
Weakness
Attaches label rather than explain behaviour
May not capture unique characteristics of individuals