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Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 1 Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective Tim DeAndrea Personality Psychology Professor Herman Date 11/09/2023

Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 2 Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective The subject of someone's personality is captivating for psychologists. It comprises many different things, like behavior, emotion, and cognition, which all shape who a person is. At the core of it all lies the trait perspective. This perspective is like a framework that determines how consistent patterns of behavior and thoughts develop in people. It believes personality can be broken down into traits that stay steady over time and in many different situations. In this article, we go on an adventure to explore this perspective with a specific focus on three people: Gordon Allport, Hans Eysenck, and Raymond Cattell. These three have done wonders in expanding our understanding of personality and, as a result, left their print on the psychology field that will last forever. Defining Traits and Trait Theory Defining Traits In personality psychology, traits are stable and enduring attributes that help us understand how someone thinks, behaves, and feels in different situations. They are what makeup who we are at our core. What is interesting is that they stay consistent as time goes on. This quality becomes the foundation for a deep understanding of someone, as it is nearly only possible to change someone long-term with a significant event happening to them. So studying this is essential for figuring out why people act the way they do, just as much as it provides insights into an individual's personality. Trait Theory of Personality

Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 3 The trait theory of personality has a simple premise: specific traits can determine and separate individuals. They believe that these traits are embedded within a person and have a strong influence on how they behave. Instead of labeling people as having a trait, this theory puts them on a spectrum. It allows for more complex categorization and understanding. They are allowing us to get closer to fully understanding the nature that is human personality. Gordon Allport: The Founder of Trait Psychology Gordon Allport is greatly admired in personality psychology and praised for his pivotal contributions to creating the trait perspective. He believes that traits serve as the foundation of personality and aid us in understanding our differences. In 1937, he created a classification system with three tiers: cardinal, central, and secondary, each playing its role in characterizing our behavior (Allport, 1937). His work solidifies how deep and complex those simple traits are, making him a trailblazer whose legacy will forever be remembered. Cardinal Traits Cardinal traits are what define someone's personality. They are so profound and extraordinary that they become the person's identity. In 1937, Allport published a book about these infrequent characteristics; with them, he concluded that they have immense power over individuals. Their influence is so powerful that it can show in every aspect of life — thoughts, emotions, and behavior (Allport, 1937). These rare attributes are the foundation of a person's character and shape their overall mental state. Central Traits

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Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 4 Cardinal traits, as defined by Allport in 1937, are vital. They influence most of our behavior and, in some instances, define our personality. Central traits, on the other hand, are not as intense; while they are prevalent, they do not have the same dominance as cardinal traits do. However, they are still a crucial part of who we are. They form a foundation that shapes how we behave and see the world around us (Allport, 1937). Secondary Traits Allport describes secondary traits as the less enduring and impactful parts of someone's personality. Compared to cardinal and central traits, these do not have a firm consistency or influence over behavior. They are only situation-specific and emerge in particular contexts, restricting their effect on an individual's overall personality structure. Even though they can contribute to slight deviations in behavior, they are not as significant as more extensive characteristics (Allport, 1937). In a way, they represent a subtler layer of one's personality that shapes conduct for specific circumstances instead of exerting a dominating or enduring influence. Hans Eysenck: The Biological Basis of Personality The emphasis on the biological foundation of personality and a groundbreaking framework leads Hans Eysenck's contributions to the trait perspective. That contribution was made in 1967 and stated that personality traits could be given three dimensions: extraversion- introversion, neuroticism-emotional stability, and psychoticism. His point was that traits could fall into one of these categories. Through his understanding of the human body, he can take a further step at advancing the field (Eysenck, 1967).

Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 5 Extraversion-Introversion In 1967, Eysenck defined extraversion and introversion. These words are used to explain how outgoing or sociable someone is. Extroverts crave adventures and people while thriving in exciting scenarios. On the other hand, introverts prefer less chaotic environments and enjoy time on their own (Eysenck, 1967). Everyone has a unique way of interacting with things around them, as well as finding joy in socializing. Neuroticism-Emotional Stability In 1967, Eysenck discovered that people have a dimension of neuroticism-emotional stability. It measures how easily someone can keep calm and deal with stress. People who lean to the neuroticism side of things tend to feel anxiety, depression, and anger more often than others. While those with emotional stability end up not letting much get to them and can handle most things (Eysenck, 1967). His study also shows that the way people react emotionally is different and has an impact on their mental health and coping skills, too. Psychoticism In 1967, Eysenck described psychoticism as having a spectrum of characteristics, such as increased aggression, impulsiveness, and a lack of empathy. People who score high on this scale show signs of being antisocial and have no regard for social norms. With it, we begin to understand how certain traits can influence our actions in the world around us. Raymond Cattell: The Source Traits

Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 6 Back in 46', Raymond Cattell expanded the trait perspective; he did this by introducing a hierarchical framework for understanding personality traits. He separated surface traits from source traits. Surface traits are easily observable behaviors, and source traits are the underlying factors that give rise to those surface traits. To put it simply, we can finally understand why people do some of the things they do (Cattell, 1946). It exposes how complex humans indeed are and offers a more detailed approach to studying individual differences Surface Traits Surface traits are easy to recognize. They are the actions and attributes we use to judge other people's personalities. Although source traits play a role, surface traits are more noticeable in day-to-day interactions. It gives us a tangible foundation to understand and interact with others (Cattell, 1946). Source Traits Source traits, also known as global traits, form the base that other observable surface traits come from, as theorized by Cattell in 1946. Using rigorous factor analysis, Cattell found 16 main source traits that he believes make up a person's whole personality. They create the foundation of someone's soul by helping us understand the layers below and how they act on the surface (Cattell, 1946). Critique and Integration Allport, Eysenck, and Cattell's contributions to the trait perspective are not useless, but they do show some issues. This perspective may ignore the dynamic and context-dependent

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Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 7 nature of personality. By using perspectives such as psychodynamic or social-cognitive approaches, a better understanding can be made. With these views, we can better understand how traits and environmental influences interact (Mischel, 1968). A bridge between them will create a more comprehensive way of learning the intricacies of human personality. Critique of Trait Perspective Critics have a hard time with the trait perspective. It does not account for situational contexts in the way that it should. We can see how valuable traits as insights are, but they will only sometimes be able to predict behavior since external appearances play a notable role. Another thing that critics argue is that this way of thinking needs to capture the dynamic evolution of personality over time. It can overlook crucial factors in the intricate process of personality development (Mischel, 1968). Integration with Other Perspectives In order to understand someone's personality, it is crucial to take the trait perspective and combine it with theories that complement it. The most common ones are the psychodynamic and social-cognitive frameworks. This collaborative approach allows us to see the bigger picture by acknowledging how internal traits and external factors influence behaviors when shaping someone's character. Harmonizing these perspectives lets researchers deeply understand the complex dynamics that shape human personality (Mischel, 1968). The most notable thing this does is fill gaps between people's natural tendencies and the world around them. Conclusion

Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 8 Gordon Allport, Hans Eysenck, and Raymond Cattell were all instrumental in advancing the trait perspective of personality. Their work gave us a more straightforward way to understand the building blocks of what makes up an individual. Allport believed there were three types: cardinal, central, and secondary traits. Eysenck thought that focusing on biological dimensions would help. Then Cattell brought in source traits. Each of these theories has its unique contribution, but when combined with other perspectives, it offers a better understanding. So, at the end of this rabbit hole, you will find that the trait perspective is still valuable for studying someone's personality. It offers a structured approach to characterizing and understanding how we behave as humans.

Understanding Personality: Trait Perspective 9 References: Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Cattell, R. B. (1946). Description and measurement of personality. World Book Company. Cervone, D., & Pervin, L. A. (2019). Personality: Theory and research (14th ed.). Wiley. Eysenck, H. J. (1967). The biological basis of personality. Charles C. Thomas. McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (2003). Personality in adulthood: A five-factor theory perspective (2nd ed.). Guilford Press. Mischel, W. (1968). Personality and assessment. John Wiley & Sons.

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