The document discusses several theories of personality traits proposed by prominent psychologists. Gordon Allport identified thousands of traits which Raymond Cattell later condensed into 16 primary factors using factor analysis. Hans Eysenck classified traits into psychoticism, introversion-extroversion, and emotional stability. Goldberg and Costa & McCrae further simplified trait theory into the Big Five factors of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. While trait theories allow for predicting behavior and classifying individuals, they are limited as they assume personality is fixed and do not fully explain why people behave differently or allow for personality changes. An integrated model that combines aspects of the various theories may provide a more comprehensive understanding
3. Allport’s Definition of Personality
Personality is a dynamic organization of
psychophysical systems within an individual that
determines the person’s uniqueness adjustment
to the environment
4. Traits Theory
Gordon Allport studied human personality by locating
every term that he thought could describe a person in the
dictionary to identify a list of 4541 traits. He organized
them into three categories:
• Cardinal traits: Traits that dominates the personality
across time and situations.
• Central traits: Common traits that are consistent across
time and situations. They form the building blocks of
personality.
• Secondary traits: Traits that are less evident and
inconsistent across time and situations.
5. Raymond Cattell’s Definition of
Personality
Personality is a collection of individual traits that
allow predictions about what a person will do in
a given situation.
6. Traits Theory
Raymond Cattell organized the thousands of
traits described by Allport and condensed them
down to 16 primary traits using the statistical
method of factor analysis. into 16 PF
(Personality Factors) to explore the basic
dimensions of personality.
7. Raymond Cattell 16 PF (Personality
Factors)
The 16 PF (Personality Factors) to explore the
basic dimensions of personality are:
• Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practical
• Apprehension: Worried versus confident
• Dominance: Forceful versus submissive
• Emotional Stability: Calm versus high-strung
8. Raymond Cattell 16 PF (Personality
Factors)
The 16 PF (Personality Factors) to explore the
basic dimensions of personality are:
• Liveliness: Spontaneous versus restrained
• Openness to Change: Flexible versus attached
to the familiar
• Perfectionism: Controlled versus undisciplined
• Privateness: Discreet versus open
9. Raymond Cattell 16 PF (Personality
Factors)
The 16 PF (Personality Factors) to explore the
basic dimensions of personality are:
• Reasoning: Abstract versus concrete
• Rule-Consciousness: Conforming versus non-
conforming
• Self-Reliance: Self-sufficient versus dependent
• Sensitivity: Tender-hearted versus tough-
minded.
10. Raymond Cattell 16 PF (Personality
Factors)
The 16 PF (Personality Factors) to explore the
basic dimensions of personality are:
• Social Boldness: Uninhibited versus shy
• Tension: Impatient versus relaxed
• Vigilance: Suspicious versus trusting
• Warmth: Outgoing versus reserved
11. Hans Eysenck’s Definition of
Personality
Personality is defined as the enduring
organization of a person's character,
temperament, intelligence and physique, which
determines the individual's unique adjustment
to the environment.
12. Hans Eysenck
Hans Eysenck classified the traits into three
fundamental factors:
• Psychotics (such antisocial traits as cruelty and
rejection of social customs),
• Introversion-extroversion,
• Emotionality-stability (also called
neuroticism).
13. Hans Eysenck
Eysenck also formulated a quadrant based on
intersecting emotional-stable (neurotic) and
Introverted-extroverted axes.
• Melancholic = High Neurotic + Introversion
• Choleric = High Neurotic + Extraversion
• Phlegmatic = Low Neurtotic + Introversion
• Sanguine = Low Neurotic + High Extroversion
14. Goldberg and Costa & McCrae
Goldberg and Costa & McCrae simplified the trait
theories using factor analysis to develop the Big
Five OCEAN (Openness, Conscientiousness,
Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism).
16. Contributions of trait theories
It has generated a great deal of research using a
variety of new research strategies.
17. Contributions of trait theories
It provides a scientific method of
classify traits using factor analysis
under their adjective descriptors.
18. Contributions of traits theories
Trait theorists can explain adaptive or complex
Behavior where a person pattern of behavior
varies across from time to time to adjust to a
given situation.
19. Contributions of trait theories
The use of idiographic and nomothetic approach
to identify human differences.
20. Limitations of traits theories
Human personality is fixed. It does not change
over times.
22. Limitations of traits theories
The Interpretation of five adjectival
descriptors (OCEAN) can be quite subjective. It
depends on one’s point of view.
23. Limitations of traits theories
The lexicon approach to classifying personality
based the composition of traits is too simplistic.
The traits theorists may be able to describe
behavior but cannot explain why we behave the
way we do.
24. Limitations of traits theories
Trait theory does not explain and provides an
avenue for personality changes.
25. Limitations of traits theories
The development of trait theories is not based
on any psychological construct. Apparently, they
can explain what we are but cannot explain why
we behave, feel and think the way we do.
26. Limitations of traits theories
The use of adjectival descriptors to cluster traits
is not inclusive of all psychological traits.
27. Limitations of traits theories
The five adjective descriptors (OCEAN) is too
limited or restricted. It does not cover all
psychological traits.
As a result, it cannot fully explain a person's
personality.
28. Conclusion
In view of the limitations of the six personality
theories there is a need to develop a model that
integrates all the six schools of personality
theories to have an accurate prediction of
human differences.
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