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The Trait Perspective

The Trait Perspective. Ancient Greek take on personality. Hippocrates Four body fluids called humor (traits) can determine personality Yellow bile  choleric, quick tempered (irritable) Blood  warm, cheerful Phlegm  sluggish, cool (unemotional)

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The Trait Perspective

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  1. The Trait Perspective

  2. Ancient Greek take on personality • Hippocrates • Four body fluids called humor (traits) can determine personality • Yellow bile  choleric, quick tempered (irritable) • Blood  warm, cheerful • Phlegm  sluggish, cool (unemotional) • Black bile  melancholy, thoughtful (depressed)

  3. The Trait Perspective An individual’s unique constellation of durable dispositions and consistent ways of behaving (traits) constitutes his or her personality. Allport & Odbert (1936), identified 18,000 words representing traits.

  4. Allport’s Hierarchy of Traits • Cardinal Traits • Pervasive characteristics that influence behavior • MLK: social justice • Relatively few possess such dominate traits • Central Traits • Basic building blocks of personality that influence behavior • Competitiveness, generosity, independence, arrogance, fearfulness • Secondary Traits • Superficial • Preferences in clothes, music • Influence behavior in relatively few situations • More easily changed over time

  5. Sympathetic Appreciative Tactful Personality Type Personality types, assessed by measures like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, consist of a number of traits. For example, a feeling type personality is sympathetic, appreciative, and tactful. Thinking types “prefer an objective standard of truth” and are “good at analyzing” Feeling Type Personality

  6. 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. Raymond Cattell (1905-1998)

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

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

  9. Assessing Traits Personality inventories are questionnaires (often with true-false or agree-disagree items) designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors assessing several traits at once.

  10. MMPI The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is the most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests. It was originally developed to identify emotional disorders. The MMPI was developed by empirically testing a pool of items and then selecting those that discriminated between diagnostic groups.

  11. Characteristics of MMPI • Developed in 1930s to distinguish between “normal” and “disturbed” • Depression • Hypochondria • Schizophrenia • MMPI-2 developed in 1989 • 557 Items presented in True/False format • Divided into 10 clinical scales and 8 validity scales with cutoff points for normal range of score within each section • Social shyness • Depression • Suspiciousness • Anxiety • Scales used to determine how well the questions were understood, how much the person lied See p. 351 HS book

  12. Sample MMPI-2 Questions • My father was a good man. • I am seldom troubled by headaches. • My hands and feet are usually warm enough. • I have never done anything dangerous or the thrill of it. • I work under a great deal of tension.

  13. Problems with MMPI • The meaning attached to the items may be misinterpreted • Examples: • Question: “People talk about me” T F • Answer might show paranoia or pride • Question: Agent of God T F • Answer might show delusional or faithful • Good place to start but not good by itself

  14. MMPI Test Profile

  15. The Big Five Factors Today’s trait researchers believe that Eysencks’ personality dimensions are too narrow and Cattell’s 16PF too large. So, a middle range (five factors) of traits does a better job of assessment.

  16. Endpoints

  17. 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. Yes. Conscientious people are morning type and extraverted are evening type. 4. Can they predict other personal attributes?

  18. 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.

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

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

  21. Consistency of Expressive Style Expressive styles in speaking and gestures demonstrate trait consistency. Observers are able to judge people’s behavior and feelings in as little as 30 seconds and in one particular case as little as 2 seconds.

  22. Now for a bit of silliness William Sheldon’s Theory of Body Types

  23. Sheldon’s Topology PhysiqueTemperament EndomorphicViscerotonic soft relaxed round sociable overweight tolerant Mesomorphic Somatotonic strong energetic muscular assertive broad shouldered courageous Ectomorphic Cerebrotonic long timid, artistic thin introvertive fragile intellectual

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