Analysis of Construct Traits in Personality Theory

Analysis of Construct Traits in Personality Theory Word Count: 1521 Q: It is said that traits are important constructs in personality theory. Support or refute this statement. 1. INTRODUCTION If you were every to ask a person to describe him or her self, he or she would probably make use of adjectives such as ‘motivated’, ‘fun-loving’, or maybe ‘lazy’ and ‘disorganised’. These people would, in essence, be describing themselves by identifying aspects of what makes them who they are, factors or traits. Kassin (2003) identifies individuals’ emotions, thoughts and behaviours as making up his or her personality. These can vary considerably from one person to the next. Therefore, in order to make the subject of personality more scientific, researchers such as Allport, Eysenck and Cattell, through a process of factor analysis, identified factors or aspects of personality, that are considerably stable across time. Personality traits. These researchers have not yet reached an absolute consensus on the precise number of traits, which may be used to accurately describe personality. Eysenck, for example identified the traits neuroticism, extraversion and psychoticism as sufficient in describing most aspects of personality. Cattell, however, identified 16 traits necessary in accounting for aspects of personality. These disparities arise out of differences in factor-analytic method used and the range of items analysed (Carr, 2004). The most dominant trait theory of recent years is the Five-Factor Model of Personality (MacCrae Costa, 1999); a richer exploration of this will follow. The following will consider the value of the construct traits in personality theory, by providing an overview of the literature on the construct traits, related theories and current research, concluding with a discussion on the findings. 2. DEFINITION In considering the importance of the construct traits in personality theory, the author will look closer at the definition of personality and that of the construct traits. 2.1. A Definition of Personality It is said that there are as many definitions of personality as there are personality theorist. Pitts (1991: 609) highlights Gordon Allport’s definition of personality, which identifies it as, ‘the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behaviour and thought’, as being widely accepted by most theorists. Kaplan and Sadock (1998: 775) define personality as, ‘a person’s characteristic totality of emotional and behavioural traits apparent in ordinary life, a totality that is usually stable and predictable’. From these two comprehensive definitions, personality could therefore be seen as being both distinctive and characteristic, and as describing a style of interacting in everyday life. Since each person is complexly unique, it is not surprising that the task of describing, and even more so, measuring personality is also highly complex. On returning to the question, and considering the above definition of personality, it would appear that for the construct traits to play a significant role in personality theory they need to be able to accurately describe an individual’s general disposition, and identify these as being stable across the life-span. 2.2. A Definition of Traits Traits are said to be those things that make us who we are. More specifically, ‘traits are relatively enduring personal characteristics, which, along with situational variables, influence behaviour, cognition and affect’ (Carr, 2004: 181). In considering the above definition, the following terms are highlighted: relatively enduring and situational. The author highlights these terms specifically, as they impact on the importance of traits on personality theory, in that traits, according to this definition, are not necessarily stable across the life span and are situationally influenced. For example, the trait ‘honest’ is very often used in describing an individual, yet this particular trait is often very dependent on a given situation. Despite these possible limitations of trait theory, the author considers the clear approach traits provide in understanding and describing personality and personal interactions, as well as a tool for comparing individuals. 3. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS Factor-analytic approaches and trait theories have arisen in recent years as a welcomed alternative to abstract theorising, in identifying aspects of personality that influences an individual respond in varying situation (Pitts, 1991). Raymond Cattell, using a set of observable, surface personality traits, identified a small group of 16 primary traits, as being central to personality. While, Hans Jurgen Eysenck proposed a 3-trait model. More recently, the Five-Factor Model (MacCrae Costa, 1999) has emerged as a front-runner of trait theories, as it provides a middle road between the extreme positions of Cattell and Eysenck (Carr, 2004). The Author will now consider these approaches to trait theory in greater depth. 3.1. Raymond Cattell In his aim to improve the predictive techniques of personality theory, in estimating a persons behaviour in a given situation, Raymond Cattell began by identifying names, ‘used to describe traits or characteristics of personality’ (Pitt, 1991: 623). From a list of 18 000 trait names, Cattell reduced this to 160. Then, through a process of factor analysis, he further reduced this number to 16 factors. Cattell described these 16 factors on a continuum, in a view that each person possess, to some degree, every trait. Everybody has some degree of every trait. These traits in: Abstractedness, Apprehension, Dominance, Emotional Stability, Liveliness, Openness to Change, Perfectionism, Privateness, Reasoning, Rule Consciousness, Self-Reliance, Sensitivity, Social Boldness, Tension, Vigilance and Warmth. Cattell considered these 16 factors as ‘source traits’, which form the basis of personality (Pitt, 1991, 623). In 1949 Cattell published these findings in an assess ment tool, the 16PF. According to Fehriinger(2004: Â ¶16), despite Cattell’s 16-factor theory having made great contributions to the development of personality theory, his theory has received vast criticism. The most prominent criticism being that despite numerous attempts to replicate the 16 Personality Factor Model, an entire replication has never been achieved. Yet, despite criticism, Fehriinger (2004: Â ¶16) identifies the contribution of Cattell’s theory in that, ‘investigation into to the validity of Cattells model researchers did discover the Big Five Factors, which have been monumental in understanding personality, as we know it today’. 3.2. Hans Jurgen Eysenck According to Eysenck, personality can be represented on three dimensions, which are uncorrelated with each other; he labelled them extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism (Pitt, 1991). Eysenck suggested that each person exhibits set responses to external and internal stimuli and that these will vary in accordance with the intensity of the stimuli, the situation and state of mind (Pitt, 1991).These set responses then develop into predictable trends, for example, a person may feel intimidated by large crowds, and as a result, limit his or her contact with specific situations. When this avoidance becomes a normal defence to coping with crowds, it becomes a habit. This behaviour may also then extend to other situations, such as social functions or days out in the city. When these responses are combined, they form traits. Jang (1998: Â ¶27) identifies the following contributions of Eysenck’s approach to the development of personality theory. By combing descriptive and casual aspects of personality, Eysenck’s model is considered more credible than other descriptive models. It is both comprehensive and descriptive, a critical aspect for comparison with other trait theories. The experimental approach adopted by Eysenck in the study of personality, makes this model more evidence based. Making this model more likely to generate more specific predictions because knowledge about the functioning of the specified physiological structures is available. Despite these identified contributions, Eysenck’s theory has received criticism in that it has been found to concentrate too extensively on extraversion, and has not made any expansion. A further criticism is that the unitary nature of extraversion, a premise of his theory, has been questioned. 3.3. Five-Factor Model The Five-Factor Model has drawn on the insights of Cattell, Eysenck and others, and includes the following dimensions: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience and Agreeableness and Conscientiousness (Carr, 2004). According to Srivastava (2006), the five-factor model has made significant contributions to the development of personality theory, in that it established a common taxonomy, doing away with a previously disorganised field. Furthermore, the five-factor model is distinguished from other theories is that it is based on language, rather than on ideas from an individual psychologist. Further support is found for the five-factor model, in that meta-analysis has confirmed the predictive value of this model across a range of behaviors. Saulsman and Page (2004, as cited in Srivastava, 2006) examined the relationship between the five-factor model and each of the 10 personality disorder categories in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). These researchers found that across 15 independent samples, each disorder displayed a unique and predictable five-factor profile (Srivastava, 2006). 4. DISCUSSION From the afore gone exploration on personality theory and traits, the author is able to identify both strengths and weaknesses of the construct traits. Since trait theory is largely based on statistical data, it removes any bias influence and remains objective, unlike other personality theories, which are based on subjective personal experiences. Furthermore, it is a clear and easy to apply approach for use in understanding people. However, the criticisms remain that it is a poor predictor of future behaviour and fails to address developmental issues. Despite these, the author is able to identify the importance of the construct trait in personality theory. 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY Carr, A. 2004. Positive Psychology: The science of happiness and human strengths. Hove: Brunner-Routledge. Fehriinger, H.M. 2004. Contributions and Limitations of Cattell’s Sixteen Personality Factor Model. Retrieved on the March 2nd, 2007, from http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/fehringer.html. Jang, K. 1998. Eysenck’s PEN Model: Its contributions to personality psychology. Retrieved on March 2nd, from http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/jang.html Kaplan, H. I., Sadock, B. J. 1998. Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral sciences/ clinical psychiatry. (8th ed.). USA: Lippincott Williams Willkins. Kassin, S. 2003. Psychology. USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc. McCrae, R., Costa, P. 1999. A five factor theory of personality. In L. Pervin and O. John (Eds.). Handbook of Personality (2nd ed.). pp. 139-153. NY: Guilford. Pitts, M. 1991. Personality. In J. Radford and E. Govier (Eds.). A Textbook of Psychology (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. Srivastava, S. (2006). Measuring the Big Five Personality Factors. Retrieved March 2nd, 2007 from http://www.uoregon.edu/~sanjay/bigfive.html.

Integrated

Tyrone Galimore Professor Tania J Quinn 100 las Experience, Learning and Identity January 4, 2011 Malcolm x, self-educated his self in prison, and gained self confidence in reading and writing. I see myself in the same position. My whole life I felt I was in prison in the labor work force. `I am attempting to self educate myself at the college of New Rochelle. In an attempt to get a degree, so I can improve my finical situation. I am my biggest mentor at this point in my life, and you (Professor Quinn) seem to have a great influence on my education.Your energy and your personal stories inspire me to believe in myself. Like the tutor in educating Rita; he believed in Rita’s ability that she could learn and change her life around. My goal is to be a better writer and receive my under graduate Degree, and eventually getting my master degree in teaching, and one day becoming a teacher. The thing that held me back from achieving a College degree in the past was family. I was just l ike Rita’s husband who wanted a family, but in my situation I was thinking with the wrong head.I had a son, and had to support my family, so I got a second job to make more money, and dropout of school. â€Å"The allegory of the cave† According to those living inside the cave, their perception was their reality, and these people who stayed inside the cave could not see the light and were not open to new ideas, but those who left outside the cave had a greater understanding of the light’s reality and realized there was more to life. It would have been hard to return after finding this new knowledge. Galimore 2 Malcolm X wrote to the minister Elijah Muhammad at least twenty-five times.He must have written that first one-page letter to him, over and over. Malcolm was trying to make it both legible and understandable. He practically couldn’t read his own handwriting; it shamed him to even remember this. Malcolm’s spelling and his grammar was as bad, if not worse. Anyway, as well as he could express it, he said, Malcolm had been told about Elijah Muhammad by his brothers and sisters, and Malcolm apologized for his poor letter written. (Alex Haley p. 173) My whole life I felt entrapped to the life style I was living.A blue collar worker just barely able to pay the rent and feed my family. On the job I felt like a professional worker receiving migrant workers pay. My professional skills were fine tuned to perfection, and my bosses and co-workers always gave me the highest compliments when it came to my work performance. Promotions on the job came up frequently, and these positions would be posted publicly next to the staff’s mail boxes where I could see them daily. The frustrating thing was I could not apply for any of these positions because I was unqualified.Most of these positions required a College Degree, something I did not have. Galimore 3 It was because of Malcolm letters that he happened to stumble upon starting to a cquire some kind of a homemade education. Malcolm was increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what he wanted to convey in letters that Malcolm wrote, especially those to Mr. Elijah Muhammad. In the streets, Malcolm had commanded attention when he said something. But now, trying to write simple English, he not only wasn’t articulate, Malcolm wasn’t even functional.How would he sound writing in slang, the way he would say it, something such as, â€Å"look, daddy, let me pull your coat about a cat, Elijah Muhammad—â€Å"Many who today hear Malcolm somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something he said, will think Malcolm went to school far beyond the eighth grade. This impression is due entirely to Malcolm’s prison studies. (Alex Haley p. 174) I realized by not have a degree my finical situation would not change. Sure I could get another job, but that’s what led to the breakup of my family.Working to many hours and n ot spending quality time with them (workaholic). I also felt like I had no real respect given to me in the position I was in, and felt I was afraid to go back to college because I did not want anyone to know I was a college dropout. My handwriting, spelling, and grammar need improvement also. The college of New Rochelle is giving me the confidence to take charge my future. Galimore 4 Rita faced many obstacles in her academic progression. She had two main obstructions, one was her working class background and the second was her husband Denny.Denny’s views are very traditional when it comes to the role of a woman. He failed to support her education and tried his best to distract her whenever he could. In the end the marriage failed because of Rita’s pursuit of her studies. Socially Rita was confused, around her family she felt that she can be better and do something better with her life than just have children and be a support system to her husband, but in the other hand when around her peers she felt inferior to her fellow students for they were so knowledgeable and she had nothing to talk about.Even with her not being certain where exactly she fit in Rita still maintained enough confidence to push forward and accomplish her goals. I faced many of the same obstacles in my academic progressions as Rita did. My work background was always in a blue collar capacity, always missing out on job advancement opportunities which meant better salaries of me. Letting my finical responsibility to my family first instead for going back to college and completing my degree requirements. This would have put me in a better position to spend more time raising my kids.Don’t look at this in a negative way, my kids are doing fine and turned out to be great young men, but if I had it to do over. Money and Quality time is a good recipe for a successful relationship. Today I maintained enough confidences to push forward and accomplish my goals just like Rita. Galim ore 5 â€Å"The allegory of the cave† According to those living inside the cave, their perception was their reality, and these people who stayed inside the cave could not see the light and were not open to new ideas, but those who left outside the cave had a greater understanding of the light’s reality and realized there was more to life.It would have been hard to return after finding this new knowledge. Growing up in the community I grow up in, seems to me know like the inside of a cave. My perception of reality was of the perception of those around me. A product of my environment, a person always chasing the money and not allowing the money to chase me. I was a person who would not venture to for from my community, but always wonder what it was like on the other side. Now that I am at the College of New Rochelle, I have a greater understanding and realize that I can accomplish more in life if I try.Going back to feeling like I am just a blue collar worker is unaccept able, for I see the torch and I am going to light it one day. Failure is not an option at this point in my life, so whatever it takes to accomplish this goal consider this goal accomplished. Professor Quinn I will see you at the finish line. Writing Assignment #4 Education is Liberating Tyrone Galimore LAS 100 – Experience, Learning and Identity Professor Tania J Quinn December 1, 2010

The Dramatic Impact of The Witches in William...

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Diane Feinstein s Life For Serving The People Of...

Biography Diane Feinstein was born in 1933 in San Francisco. Dianne Feinstein has devoted her life to serving the people of California, first at the local level and later at the national one. In 1960, Feinstein was elected by Governor Pat Brown to the state s Women s Board of Parole, making her the youngest member in the nation. Dianne Feinstein held her position with Board of Parole for six years, and in 1968 she became a member of the San Francisco Committee on Crime. During 1969, Feinstein was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming again the first woman ever to serve as the board s president. During the same period, Dianne Feinstein also ran for mayor twice, losing to her contenders both times. In 1978, Diane Feinstein became the acting mayor of San Francisco after the sitting mayor was killed and the following year she was elected and remained in her position as a Mayor, a position she held until 1988. In 1992, after an unsuccessful attempt to win the California govern orship, Feinstein ran in a special election for a seat in the U.S. Senate and became the first woman elected U.S. senator from California. Political History After winning a seat in the Senate in 1992, Feinstein was re-elected in 1994, 2000, 2006 and 2012 and has been a senator from California for a total of 24 years or 4 terms. As California s Senator, Dianne Feinstein has built a name as an independent voice, working in a bipartisan way to find rational solutions to the problems