1. Gordon Allport

2. Gordon Allport Born in 1897 in Indiana
Attended Harvard as an undergraduate and graduate student
Became an instructor of social ethics at Harvard
Taught the first course offered in personality

3. The Nature of Personality
Personality a real entity
Hoped that neurophysiological and psychological research would one day show us the location of personality
Distinguished between continuity theories of personality that are closed and admit little change and discontinuity theories that are open and provide for extensive growth

4. Traits
Neuropsychic structures within a person that influence behavior; they are not simply labels we use to describe or classify behaviors
Common traits – hypothetical constructs that permit us to make comparisons between individuals
Personal dispositions – unique to each person
Cardinal – so pervasive that they influence almost every behavior of an individual
Central – highly characteristic of individual
Secondary – specific, focused tendencies

5. Thinking Critically Central Dispositions
Think of a close friend you know well. Describe your friend’s personality by jotting down words or phrases that express his or her essential characteristics. Do the same thing for yourself.
Count the number of words or phrases necessary to describe your friend and yourself.
Research suggests the number of central dispositions fall between 5-10.
Does your evidence support this claim?
Do you think this number reflects a certain level of complexity in personality or does it simply reflect the number of traits the observer is able to keep track of?

6. The Proprium, Functional Autonomy
Central experiences of self-awareness that people have as they grow and move forward
Propriate functions (Table 10.1)
Functional Autonomy – implies that adult motivation is not necessarily tied to the past
Perseverative
Propriate

7. Allport's Propriate Functions

8. A Definition of Maturity
Extension of Sense of Self
Warm Relating of Self to Others
Emotional Security (Self-Acceptance)
Realistic Perception, Skills, and Assignments
Self-Objectification (Insight and Humor)
Unifying Philosophy of Life

9. Assessment and Research in Allport’s Theory
View of personality as open and discontinuous did not lend itself well to study
Allport encouraged idiographic approach to study that centers on the individual in order to understand uniqueness
Use of content analysis in study of personal documents

10. Philosophy, Science, and Art: Allport’s Theory
Allport used rigorous scientific methods to establish common traits
Recognized the value of methodologies used in literature, philosophy, art and religion to study uniqueness of individual
Many of his ideas have been useful to clinicians