Trait Approaches to Personality Trait Approaches to Personality I. Logic of the Trait Approach A. People s behavior is fairly consistent across time. B. People s behavior is fairly consistent across situations. C. People s personality can be partitioned into different dimensions, with people showing different intensities of each characteristic. Personality is made up of dimensions on which people vary. II. Brief History A. Typologies (aka taxonomies) 1. Example: Sheldon s body types: a) Endomorphic (round) b) Mesomorphic (muscular) c) Ectomorphic (thin) 2. Example: Myers-Briggs 3. Advantage: relatively easy to apply. 4. Disadvantage: not found to work very well. Not used much now. 1
B. Dimensions People not categorized, but personality broken down into subcomponents. Key question: how many personality dimensions are there? 1. Raymond Cattell Data driven, not theory driven. Started with thousands of words that describe people, then used factor analysis to pare them down to 16 source (core) traits. 2. More recently, appears there are five core personality traits. Called The Big Five. III. Evaluation of the Trait Approach A. Strengths 1. Empirically based a) Reduces bias b) Results in testable hypotheses c) Greater likelihood of agreement and therefore progress. 2. Numerous practical applications. B. Weaknesses 1. No underlying theory re: how traits develop. 2
B. Weaknesses 1. No underlying theory re: how traits develop. 2. No theory on how traits can be changed. Taking the NEO-PI 1. Write down the five most important aspects of yourself. 2. Starting on a new sheet of paper, number from 1 to 60 using five columns. E.g., 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15 3. Answer questions using this scale: Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree 0 1 2 3 4 3
4. Rate yourself on these traits from Very Low, Low, Average, High, Very High relative to other people: Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Agreeableness Conscientiousness 5. Now reverse score several of the items. 0=4; 1=3; 2=2; 3=1; 4=0 Column 1 = 1, 16, 31, 46 2= 12, 27, 42, 57 3= 3, 8, 18, 23, 33, 38, 48 4= 9, 14, 24, 29, 39, 44, 54, 59 5= 15, 30, 45, 55 6. Add up each column. This provides t- score. 7. Plot t-scores on graph. Current Trait Approach: The Big 5 I. Overview A. Extraversion: Talkative, Assertive, Active, Energetic, Outgoing, Outspoken, Dominant, Forceful, Enthusiastic, Show-off, Sociable, Spunky, Adventurous, Noisy, Bossy versus Quiet, Reserved, Shy, Silent, Withdrawn, Retiring Cross-cultural studies suggest reward sensitivity is central here, not sociability. Related to positive affect. 4
B. Agreeableness: related to how others respond to the individual. Sympathetic, Kind, Appreciative, Affectionate, Soft-hearted, Warm, Generous, Trusting, Helpful, Forgiving, Pleasant, Good-natured, Friendly, Cooperative, Gentle, Unselfish, Praising, Sensitive versus Fault-finding, Cold, Unfriendly, Quarrelsome, Hard-hearted, Unkind, Cruel, Thankless C. Conscientiousness: related to how people perform tasks (e.g., being careful, hardworking, neat, & organized). Organized, Thorough, Planful, Efficient, Responsible, Reliable, Dependable, Conscientious, Precise, Practical, Deliberate, Painstaking vs. Careless, Disorderly, Frivolous, Irresponsible, Slipshod, Undependable, Forgetful D. Neuroticism: (aka adjustment, or reversed & called emotional stability). Related to experiencing negative emotions. Tense, Anxious, Nervous, Moody, Worrying, Touchy, Fearful, Highstrung, Self-pitying, Temperamental, Unstable, Self-punishing, Emotional vs. Emotional stability, Emotional control, Ego strength 5
E. Openness: defined as openness to experience. Wide interests, Imaginative, Intelligent, Original, Insightful, Curious, Sophisticated, Artistic, Clever, Inventive, Sharp-witted, Ingenious, Wise vs. Commonplace, Narrow interests, Simple, Shallow, Unintelligent Not always found in cross-cultural studies. III. Relevant Research on the Big 5 A. Does personality change with age? Srivastava et al. (2003), N = 132,515 adults (21 60 y.o.). 1. Concientiousness & Agreeableness increase throughout adulthood. 2. Neuroticism higher for women initially but decreased with age. Men remain stable. 6
B. Vocational interests 1. Job performance predicted by Conscientiousness. 2. Job satisfaction related to fit between personality & job tasks. C. Satisfaction with life Subjective well-being is most strongly (negatively) predicted by Neuroticism (DeNeve, 1999). D. Health & longevity Friedman et al. (1995). 70-year longitudinal study of large sample of children. Focused on causes of death. Finding: Conscientiousness predicted longevity. 1. Environmental influences ruled out. 2. Less likely to die violent deaths. 3. Less likely to smoke & drink heavily. 4. More likely to exercise regularly, eat balanced diet, have regular physicals. E. Best Teachers (Simonton). Teaching Excellence Associated with High Extraversion, High Agreeableness, High Conscientiousness, and High Openness, but Low Neuroticism 7
III. Limitations of the Big Five A. Continued debate on no. of traits. B. No agreed upon theory of the traits origins. C. Different traits may vary in how relevant they are in understanding different individuals. E.g., Allport s central vs. secondary traits. D. Approach is nomothetic. Some prefer idiographic approaches. E. May miss important information about a person s personality. 8