Describe trait approaches to personality. Briefly describe one of Gordon Allport's, Raymond Cattell's, or Hans Eysenck's trait theories of personality. Identify the Big Five personality dimensions central to contemporary trait approaches.
What will be an ideal response?
Students' answers may vary.
The answer should define the trait approach to personality. Trait approaches seek to find the basic dimensions underlying the consistency in an individual's behavior across situations.
One of the following trait theories should be described in the students' answers.
Gordon Allport's theory: He suggested that there are three types of traits: cardinal, central, and secondary. A cardinal trait is a single overriding characteristic that directs most of an individual's behavior. Most people do not develop single, comprehensive cardinal traits. Central traits are the major traits that make up the personality of most individuals. Most people have about five to ten core central traits. Finally, secondary traits are those that are less influential than central traits. They may influence an individual's behavior only in a few specific situations.
Raymond Cattell's theory: He used a statistical procedure called factor analysis to identify patterns among a large number of variables and combining them into more fundamental groupings. Raymond Cattell suggested there are 16 pairs of traits.
Hans Eysenck's theory: He used factor analysis to isolate the basic patterns of traits. Hans Eysenck suggested that only three major dimensions were necessary to describe personality: extraversion (sociability), neuroticism (emotional stability), and psychoticism (distortion of reality).
The Big Five dimensions are openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
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