Gordon Allport developed one of the earliest theories of personality traits. He focused on the uniqueness of each individual and how their traits are shaped by present contexts rather than past history. Allport identified three levels of traits: cardinal traits that dominate a person's behavior, central traits that describe basic characteristics found in most people, and secondary traits that only appear in certain situations. Allport developed a list of over 4,500 trait words and believed traits could be observed and used to distinguish individuals' personalities.

1. Allport’s Trait theory of
Personality
M.Ed

2. Meaning of Trait
 The adjectives and characteristics of one behavior is known as TRAIT, these traits are
helpful in describing one’s personality and also distinguish a man’s personality from other’s
personality.
 Traits represent attributes and properties of human personality like : colour,height,health
etc.
 Traits of one’s personality can be know by observation method. We must be able to
understand the trait demonstrated by individual and situations in which it is being
demonstrated.

3. GORDON W.ALLPORT
(November 11, 1897 – October 9, 1967) , Indiana
Gordon W. Allport was a longtime and influential
member of the faculty at Harvard University from 1930
to 1967. In 1931, he served on the faculty committee
that established Harvard's Sociology Department.
He received the APA's Distinguished Scientific
Contribution Award. Gordon Allport died on October
9, 1967 in Cambridge, Massachusetts of lung cancer.
He was seventy years old.

4. Allport’s theory
 American psychologist GORDON ALLPORT ,was one of the first psychologists o focus on
the study of personality traits.
 He focused on the uniqueness of each individual and importance of the present context
and opposed to past history.
 He developed a list of 4500 trait like words.

5. Common and Individual traits
 COMMON TRAITS : Characteristics which are more general than habits and attitudes in
respect to which people in a population can be profitably compared.
 INDIVIDUAL TRAITS : these are behavioural characteristics that are not found in all persons
and may not even exist in more than specific individual.

6. Allport ‘s trait levels
CARDINAL TRAIT
ORDINAL TRAIT
SECONDARY TRAIT

7. Cardinal Trait
 The trait that dominates and shapes a person’s behavior that they coloue every aspect of
one’s behavior. These are also called primary traits.
 These are limited in number to just one or two.
 For e.g : if a person is humorous in nature.
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN ( honest ),MOTHER TERESA ( religious service )

8. Central Traits
 This is general characteristic found in some degree in every person. These are the basic
building blocks that shape most of our behavior .
 FIVE TO TEN central traits in an individual’s personality
 For e.g. : honesty, kindness etc.

9. Secondary Trait
 These are characteristics seen only in certain circumstances .They must be included to
provide a complete picture of human complexity.
 These are not considered enough and not dominant characteristics
 Preferences, attitudes, situational traits are all secondary traits.
 For e.g. : stage fear before speaking at public

10. Refrences
 Singh, Agyajit (2012) Development of the learner and teaching learning process.21st
century publications, Patiala, Punjab
 Mangal.S.K.(2002) Advanced Educational psychology ,PHI Learning pvt.ltd. New Delhi.
 Nicholson, I. (1997). To "correlate psychology and social ethics": Gordon Allport and the
first course in American personality psychology. Journal of Personality, 65, 733-742

11. THANKU