Psych 101... PERSONALITY... What makes you... You?

When discussing personality, psychologists look at the thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that an individual has that make him or her unique- also known as a "mental system." Personality is individualized, and, for the most part, it will remain consistent throughout an individual's life. While there are many interpretations as to what constitutes personality, several key characteristics are

generally accepted in the field of study:

• In general, there is a consistency and noticeable order to behavior. People behave in the same or similar ways in different types of situations.
• Personality influences how a person behaves and responds to their environment, and is also the cause of behaving in particular ways.
• While personality is a psychological concept, biological processes have a large influence and impact on it.
• Behavior is not the only thing that displays personality. Personality can be seen in interactions with other people, relationships thoughts, and emotions.

TRAIT THEORIES

There are several theories and schools of thought that try to understand how personality develops, and many have already been discussed in depth. These include humanist theories (such as Maslow's hierarchy of needs), which emphasize the role of free will and the experience of the individual; psychoanalytic theories (like the work of Sigmund Freud) that emphasize early experiences and the unconscious); behavioral theories (like classical and operant conditioning), which suggest that the individual and his or her interaction with the environment lead to the development of personality; and trait theories, which are particularly noteworthy because of their emphasis on the difference between people. Trait theories, then, focus on finding and measuring the personality traits that comprise each individual. Throughout the history of psychology, there have been several trait theories. Among the most important are:

Allport's Trait Theory

In 1936, Harvard psychologist Gordon Allport, who also taught the very first personality psychology class in the United States, developed his trait theory of personality. Allport went through the dictionary and searched for every term he felt described a personality trait. With a list of over 4,500 words, Allport organized these traits into three categories:

1. Cardinal Traits: Traits that control and define the entire personality of an individual. As a result, these types of traits are often synonymous with the individual and are very rare. These traits include Christ-like, Narcissistic, and Machiavellian. 

2. Central Traits: Traits that are common. These include traits like friendliness, kindness, honesty, etc.

3. Secondary Traits: Traits that appear under particular conditions and circumstances. For example, becoming nervous prior to giving a speech in public. 

Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factors

Working off of Gordon Allport's theory, psychologist Raymond Cattell tookAllport's list of more than 4,200 personality traits and dwindled it down to 171 traits, by combining those that were similar to one another and removing traits that were uncommon. Cattell then created questionnaires that used these traits and tested a large population sample. Once Cattell had the results from the questionnaires, he identified any terms that were closely related and used a statistical process known as factor analysis to decrease the number of main personality traits even further. He concluded that a total of sixteen personality traits were the source of all personalities and that every single person had these traits to some degree. The sixteen personality factors Cattell identified are:

• Abstractedness: Being imaginative and abstract versus being grounded and practical.
• Apprehension: Being worried and insecure versus being confident and secure.
• Dominance: Being forceful and assertive versus being submissive and secure.
• Emotional stability: Being calm versus being emotionally unstable and high-strung.
• Liveliness: Being enthusiastic and spontaneous versus being restrained and serious.
• Openness to change: Being flexible and open versus being traditional and attached to the familiar. 
• Perfectionism: Being self-disciplined and controlling versus being undisciplined and flexible.
• Privateness: Being discreet and shrewd versus being open and unpretentious. 
• Reasoning: Thinking abstractly and being more intelligent versus thinking concretely and being less intelligent.
• Rule consciousness: Being conscientious and conforming versus being nonconforming and disregarding rules.
• Self-reliance: Being self-sufficient and individualistic versus being dependent.
• Sensitivity: Being sentimental and tender-hearted versus being unsentimental and tough-minded.
• Social boldness: Being uninhibited and venturesome versus being shy and timid.
• Vigilance: Being suspicious and skeptical versus being trusting and accepting.
• Warmth: Being outgoing and attentive to people versus being distant and reserved.

"If positive psychology teaches us anything, it is that all of us are a mixture of strengths and weaknesses. No one has it all, and no one lacks it all." - Christopher Peterson

~Bella