A trait =
A cdusdl interndl chdrdcteristic or fedture V Something thdt describes behdvior
Traits are not the behavior itself.
The Act FreBuency Approach
- Traits refer to a collection of behaviors.
- Someone has a trait if he or she shows the behavior
Critiques:
- Same behavior can be caused by different traits
- Not showing behavior is sometimes informative
- Not all relevant behaviors can be observed
Achievements:
- Identification of which behavior corresponds to which traits
- Meaning of traits difficult to study
- Indicates cross-cultural differences in manifestation of traits
- Lends insights into phenomena
Which traits are important?
The lexicdl dpprodch
- ‘All the traits that are described and defined by the dictionary form the basis of the natural way of describing differences between people’
Critiques:
- Meaning is not always clear
- Personality is more than just adjectives
The stdtisticdl dpprodch
- Approach that uses factor analysis or similar statistical procedures to identify major personality traits. Goal = identifying trait dimensions
Advantage:
- Factor analysis is suitable for reducing descriptors into smaller dimensions, or factors Critique:
- Underlying dimensions depend on the variables in the analysis
The theoreticdl dpprodch
- Theory that predicts which trait(s) are central
Just like with the ddtd types, it is best to use combindtions of severdl dpprodches.
Taxonomies of personality
2 Analogies:
Tree: Eysenck’s Hierdrchicdl model
- Personality traits are highly heritable
- Personal traits have a psychophysiological basis
Hierarchical model: Three higher order traits
- Psychoticism
- Extraversion/Introversion – Neuroticism/Emotional stability
4 Levels:
- Higher-order traits
- Less narrow traits
- Habitual behavior
- Specific behavior
Advantage:
- Allows specific behavior to be put in a broader context.
Biological basis PEN model
- Psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticism have certain inheritance factors
- P, E and N have identifiable physiological substrates
P: more testosterone
E: less easily excitable central nervous system
N: more labile central nervous system
Circle: Interpersondl Circumplex
- Jerry Wiggins extended the ideas of Timothy Leary
Starting point:
- The lexical approach
- Focused on interpersonal traits
Two axes in the interpersonal circumplex are dominance and warmth. – Inherent in every social exchange
- Sufficient to describe how someone is in relation to another
- Analogous to a color wheel
Advantages:
- Explicit definition of subject – Indicates ‘holes’ in research
- Specifies relationship between poles
Critiques:
- Limited to just dominance and warmth
- Is there more to interpersonal interactions?
Five fdctor dpprodch ‘The Big Five’
Similarities and differences with Eysenck: – E: Extravert ↔ Introvert
- N: Neuroticism ↔ Emotional Stability
- A: Friendliness ↔ Hostility (P1)
- C: Conscientiousness / Caring (P2)
- O: Openness / Intellect (NEW)
Empirical evidence:
- Has often replicated over the past 50 years
- Found in different cultures and languages
- Different questionnaires/surveys were done
Critiques:
- Traits are considered one at a time
- Fifth factor unclear
- Openness? Fantasy? Intellect?
- Remains descriptive and provides no process explanation – Maybe more factors?
- Masculine / Feminine
- Spiritual or Religious / Non-believer
Block (1971, 1995) (and others): Personality is about how traits or characteristics are organized within the person.
Ashton & Lee (2001) said that HEXACO was the acronym (each letter means something). This theory was later nuanced by De Raad et al. (2010)
- Honesty/humility
- Dark / bright side of personality