Trait Theories A. Gordon Allport B. Cattell C. Eysenck Cardinal- strong personality traits that affect us the most Central Traits- highly characteristic of a person B. Cattell Surface Traits- easily observed by others Source Traits- underlie surface behavior C. Eysenck Extraversion- outgoing, sociable Intraversion- shy

Contemporary Research– The Trait Perspective a characteristic pattern of behavior a disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports Gordon Allport

Exploring Traits Factor analysis is a statistical approach used to describe and relate personality traits. Cattell used this approach to develop a 16 Personality Factor (16PF) inventory. OBJECTIVE 15| Describe some of the ways psychologists have attempted to compile a list of basic personality traits. Raymond Cattell (1905-1998)

Factor Analysis Cattell found that large groups of traits could be reduced down to 16 core personality traits based on statistical correlations. Excitement Impatient Irritable Boisterous Basic trait Superficial traits Impulsive

Raymond Cattell

The Trait Perspective Extroversion-Introversion Extroverts seek stimulation because their normal levels of brain arousal are relatively low. Emotional stability-instability Emotionally stable people react calmly because their autonomic nervous systems are not so reactive as those of unstable people.

Personality Dimensions Hans and Sybil Eysenck suggested that personality could be reduced down to two polar dimensions, extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability.

Endpoints

Questions about the Big Five 1. How stable are these traits? Quite stable in adulthood. However, they change over development. 2. How heritable are they? Fifty percent or so for each trait. 3. How about other cultures? These traits are common across cultures. 4. Can they predict other personal attributes? Yes. Conscientious people are morning type and extraverted are evening type.

William Sheldon Somatotyping (body typing) 1. Endomorph— plump, relaxed, jolly (Santa Claus) 2. Ectomorph— high strung and solitary (Sherlock Holmes) 3. Mesomorph— bold and physically active (Superman)

Evaluation of Trait Perspective Doesn’t really explain personality, simply describe the behaviors Doesn’t describe the development of the behaviors Trait approaches generally fail to address how issues such as motives, unconscious, or beliefs about self affect personality development

Evaluating the Trait Perspective The Person-Situation Controversy Walter Mischel (1968, 1984, 2004) points out that traits may be enduring, but the resulting behavior in various situations is different. Therefore, traits are not good predictors of behavior. We look for genuine personality traits that persist over time and across situations. If you consider friendliness a trait, friendly people must act friendly at different times and places. OBJECTIVE 18| Summarize the person-situation controversy, and explain its importance as a commentary on the trait perspective.

The Person-Situation Controversy Trait theorists argue that behaviors from a situation may be different, but average behavior remains the same. Therefore, traits matter.

The Person-Situation Controversy Traits are socially significant and influence our health, thinking, and performance (Gosling et al., 2000). Samuel Gosling

Barnum Effect Barnum Effect believing a horoscope describes you when its very generic. "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute"