Trait theories of personality

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Trait theories of personality
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Personality traits

• A personality trait is a personality
  characteristic that endures (lasts) over time and
  across different situations
• Trait theories of personality focus on measuring,
  identifying and describing individual differences
  in personality in terms of traits
• Focus is on what is different- not what is the
  same
• Can be used to predict behaviour based on traits

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Main assumptions of theories

• One that personality traits are relatively
  stable and therefore predictable over time
• Two Personality traits are relatively stable
  across different situations
• Three trait theories take into account that
  personality consists of a number of different
  traits, and that some people have more or
  less of each trait than others
• Four some traits are more closely interrelated
  than
• other traits and tend to occur together

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• Personality traits are described on a continuum
  showing either end of the trait
• I.e. Confidence continuum

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Jigsaw

• Allports hierarchy of traits
• Cattells 16 personality factor model
• Eysencks PEN model
• Costa and McCrae Five Factor Model
• Collect information needed to complete table

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Strengths and Limitations of trait theories

• Provide useful descriptions of personality and
  its structure
• Provided the foundation of valid and reliable
  personality devices
• Can lead people to accept and use oversimplified
  classifications and descriptions
• Underestimate socio-cultural influences on
  behaviour

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Humanistic theories of personality

• Emerged in 1950s in America
• Humanistic theories of personality emphasise the
  uniqueness of each individual and the positive
  qualities and potential of all human beings to
  fulfil their lives
• Based on the assumption that all people are born
  good and that all individuals strive to reach
  their full potential throughout their lives
• Believe that a healthy personality is the result
  of a person achieving their full potential
• Also believe that personality is made up of all
  experiences up to any point in time
• to understand someones personality fully, you
  must try to understand the dilemmas and choices
  they have made in their lives from their
  perspective

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Carl Rogers

• American
• 1902-87
• believed that all people are born good, with
  considerable potential, and that each person has
  the ability to achieve their full potential as an
  individual if they are able to overcome a series
  of hurdles
• Rogers emphasised the importance of free will, we
  are all individuals who freely choose to behave
  in whatever way we desire, and we act according
  to that choice

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Person-centred theory

• Developed by Rogers based
• on clinical work with his
• Clients
• Believed each person is like
• The seed of an enormous
• tree

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3 Key factors which influence self actualisation

• Self-actualise reach full potential
• the way others treat them (that is, whether they
  are accepted or rejected by other people)
• how they view themself (that is, their
  self-concept)
• how effectively they can deal with negative
  influences in their life that cause them anxiety
  or conflict

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Self Concept

• Self-concept all the perceptions and beliefs an
  individual has about themself including their
  nature, unique qualities and their typical
  behaviour
• Rogers believed that childhood is a critical time
  for the development of personality and that the
  social relationships a child experiences during
  that time have lasting effects on the development
  of their self concept
• Our idea of who we are is built up, over time,
  from childhood, through our interactions with
  others and our environment

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Influence of others in developing our self concept

• People who are important to us can assist our
  self-actualising in three important ways
• by being genuine by being honest and open with
  their feelings towards us
• by being accepting by valuing us for what we
  are, regardless of our shortcomings so that we
  experience unconditional positive regard
• By encouraging our blossoming by being
  empathetic being able to put themselves in our
  position and fully understand, from our point of
  view, how we feel

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What makes a well adjusted person?

• A well-adjusted and happy individual is someone
  whose self-image (the person you think you are),
  ideal self (the person you want to be) and true
  self (the person you actually are) are all
  congruent (match), or are fairly similar

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Measuring personality

• Humanist theorists do not believe you can measure
  or rate personality
• They do however use a Q-sort test
• This is used mainly during therapy to examine the
  self-concept, and the extent to which the true
  self and the ideal self match (or are
  mismatched), and to study changes in the clients
  perception of self during the course of treatment
  (Malim Birch, 1998)
• Used a client-centred approach to therapy

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Strengths and Limitations

• Focus on positive dimensions of personality
• Give a complete picture of how a healthy
  personality develops
• Humanist theories are often criticised as being
  too simplistic and vague and unable to be tested
  scientifically
• Focus on self fulfilment (this can be a
  negative!)
• Unrealistic- do not recognise the capacity of
  people to be evil

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Task

• Complete activity 12.21
• Read pages 539-545
• Complete activity 12.26

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References

• http//theprofitablelife.com/wp-content/themes/the
  sis_151/rotator/growing-tree.jpg