Essay on The Trait Theory of Personality - 2121 Words

The study of personality traits is beneficial in identifying the many variables that exist from human to human; the combinations of these variables provide us with a true level of individuality and uniqueness. In the field of psychology, trait theory is considered to be a key approach to the study of human personality (Crowne, 2007; Burton, Westen Kowalski, 2009). This paper aims to identify a number of significant contributors who have played crucial roles in both the development and application of trait theory. This paper then moves focus to these theorists, outlining their theory and analysing both the strengths and weaknesses of those theories. An illustration of the methods used in trait measurement is given and includes the†¦show more content†¦Cardinal traits were rare and included traits that dominated a person, central traits were more general and descriptive of the individual, secondary traits were situational and related to an individual’s attitude and pre ference (Srivastava, 2005, p. 231). According to Buchanan (2010), German born psychologist Hans Eysenck devoted much of his career to both personality and intelligence research with much of this time spent in British universities. According to Haggbloom (2002), Eysenck’s research was thoroughly respected with him being the most regularly cited psychologist in science journals at the time of his passing. In 1947 Eysenck’s first book outlined what Eysenck viewed as the two central factors of personality; neuroticism and introversion/extraversion. Five years later Eysenck added another factor; psychoticism (Buchanan, 2010, p. 73). According to Carnivez Allen (2005), British born psychologist Raymond Cattell centred his studies on factor analysis. His work observed him meticulously reduce Allport’s list of traits to less than two hundred. Applying his factor analysis knowledge, Cattell developed the 16PF questionnaire in 1949. Now in its fifth edition, it is still in wide use to this day (Boyle, Matthews Saklofske, 2008). According to Tucker (2009), Cattell argued that while Eysenck’s three factor approach to personality was simpler, his own method was more thorough.Show MoreRelatedPersonality Traits And Theories Of Personality1513 Words   |  7 PagesThe term personality has been defined several times in different ways throughout the history of psychology. A definition that captures much of what is meant by personality was described as â€Å"more or less stable, internal factors that make one person’s behaviour consistent from one time to another, and different from the behaviour other people would manifest in comparable situations† by Child (1968) (Eysenck, 1994). This definition is very broad and it includes personality traits as well as intelligenceRead MoreThe Trait Theory Of Personality Essay778 Words   |  4 PagesESSAY TOPIC: Describe the trait theory of personality. Select one â€Å"factor† or â€Å" trait† from a prominent trait theory and discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of someone who strongly exhibits this trait. 1. Introduction Traits are described as the unique and constant characteristic tendencies that shape and influence a person’s mood and behaviour (Ewen 2013, p. 110; Olesen, Thomsen O’Toole 2015, p. 45). Prominent personality psychologists Gordon Allport, authored the first American reviewRead MoreThe Theory Of Personality Traits1948 Words   |  8 PagesThe study of personality is very important in the field of psychology because it aims to provide an account for individuality of human beings (Pervin and John, 1999). There are many psychological definitions which attempt to explain personality in terms of characteristics or typical qualities of an individual. Gordon Allport, defined it as â€Å"a dynamic organization, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create the person’s characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts and feelings’ (AllportRead MorePersonality Theories And Trait Theories2232 Words   |  9 PagesThe entire notion of Personality rests u pon a number of assumptions: 1) that traits and types exist 2) that traits and types are stable over time 3) that these traits and types are consistent across different situations. At least two of these assumptions are so problematic that they challenge the very existence of Personality. Critically evaluate this statement. Personality, a word first coined in the C14th, has so broad a meaning that its definition varies significantly depending on which theoreticalRead MoreBiological Personality Trait Theory753 Words   |  3 Pageswith a personality. This means that all individuals have their own characteristics, moods, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Personality is both an individual experience, as each person experiences specific combinations that are unique, and a global experience, as humans often share similar traits (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2014). As humanity has expanded, so has interest in discovering what causes the developments of specific personality traits. While some have believed that personality is strictlyRead MoreCharacteristics Theories Of Personality Traits907 Words   |  4 Pages Traits perspectives The Five-Factor model is a condensed representation of different types of personalities. The emerging consensus is that the structure of personality may incorporate five superordinate factors (Carver Scheier, 2012). Traits, in general, have been used to denote consistent patterns of behavior, especially expressive or stylistic behavior (John Robins, 2008). Trait psychologists focus on the variety of traits. On the other hand, motive psychologistRead MoreTrait Theory and Brand Personality Framework1679 Words   |  7 Pagesabout Trait Theory and Brand Personality Framework in personality. Details of the two theories will be explained first, along with some real examples of how firms make use of personality traits to strengthen their brands. The shortcomings of the two existing theories will then be analyzed, and some measures developed by recent researchers will be introduced in order to overcome the weaknesses. I chose this topic because I am interested in psychology and p ersonality traits. Many personality testsRead MoreBig Five Theory Of Personality Traits955 Words   |  4 PagesAmong the many established trait theories, the most widely known and used is the Big Five Theory of Personality Traits. It is a five-factor model composed of the broad personality traits of openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. There are a variety of ways to assess one’s broad dimensions of personality in these five categories. One of which is Psych Central’s personality assessment that consists of fifty questions in which there is a statement ofRead MoreGordon Allport : Personality Psychology And Trait Theory718 Words   |  3 PagesNovember 11, 1897, is considered the founder of â€Å"personality psychology† and â€Å"trait theory†. Allport, just like any other psychologist, had his own definition on what personality is. According to Allport, â€Å" no two psychologists could easily agree on one definition of the term ‘personality’† (Kendall, 2010, p. 282), Allport believed that personality could be characterized in two ways, idiographic and nomothetic; while Freud believed that personality is composed by the Id, Ego and Superego. AllportRead MoreDefensive Personality Studied through Personality Psychology Trait Theories755 Words   |  4 PagesA person with a defensive personality may feel as though they are being attacked and to cope with it they need to defend their choice of words and actions when they are dealing with other individuals. My younger sister, Carlee, has a defensive personality. We have the same mother, but different fathers. This caused us to be raised in different situations. She has moved around a lot, going from my dad’s house, to our mom’s house, and to her dad’s house. She did not have a set place where she