the belief that people really have traits

Gordon Allport, founder

thinking of traits as characteristics that allow comparison of one person with another

VS

to think of traits as characteristics that are unique to a person and do not invite or even permit comparison with others

• pattern of responding characterized by a high drive coupled with a continuous rush to meet deadlines ("hurry sickness")
• is predictive of later heart attacks

• focused on a smaller # of personality types than Cattell
• said types are dimensions on which all persons differ
• types like traits are normally distributed
• hierarchical model of personality with three major factors: Pyschoticism, Extraversion, and Neuroticism

Agreeableness

Conscientsciousness

Culture

emotional stability

surgency

• invented by Tellegen and Walker
• Needed to be added to the big five
• Mccrae and Costa thought they were less important than the big five

P- clinical pop. was studied with 25% documented disorders of total pop.

D- nonclinical strategy said 75% had disorders

• Went from the top down
• Logic was in deduction
• Freud was exemplar
• started with constructs and came to observation

• Went from bottom up (no preconceptions)
• Logic was induction
• Exemplar was Eysenck
• Started with constructs and moved to observations

Self report measure that included 1.) data collection

2.) Data analysis (thru a factor matrix)

3.) Data interpretation

Emotional lability

Emotional instability

1.) Output side: Interpretation is subjective 

2.) Input side: What to measure is also subjective

• example of a PxS interaction, says that it depends on the task
• said that introverts take more time with tasks and are more accurate
• said that extroverts take less time with tasks and are less accurate

• says that introverts are most likely to have anxiety based disorders and less likely to have sociopathic (Personality) disorders
• says that extroverts are more likely to have sociopathic disorders(personality disorders) and less anxiety disorders

Most effective research strategy in the nature VS nurture debate

proved that genetic influence is greater than environmental influences

• Study done by Scarr and McCartney
• said that the genes of the parent will pass to the genes of the child and dictate the phenotype of the child and the environment that the parent creates

ARAS +arousal

VS

ARAS -arousal

"Introversion", a child acting thoughtfully and withdrawn, a parent may act calming towards the child

VS

"Extroversion," a child acting impulsive and sociable, a parent producing stimulation for the child

says that as an infant, a baby's state of introversion/extroversion through either crying or smiling when being picked up can dictate exactly what they want later on in phenotypes: being left alone or socially stimulating

F, can be influenced by the environment

EXAMPLE: Child born with normal intelligence influenced by a mother smoking crack while pregnancy (environmental infl.)

• estimates of how much of the differences of extro/introversion are attributed to genetic differences
• Statistics are a function of the sample, IE they're not carved in stone
• Meta analysis provides a more reliable sample due to a large one

• showing stable individual differences
• motivation and ability
• regulation of nonverbal behaviors (like displays of affection or impression management)

plump body type with specific personality correlates 

associated with viscerotonia

muscular body type with specific personality correlates

assoc. with somatonia

frail body type with specific personality correlates

assoc. with cerebrotonia

• dispositions that are present at birth, stable across time, and pervasive in their influence
• the big three are: sociability, emotionality, and activity level

1.) intensity of behavior

VS

2.) speed of activities

• lack of its own theoretical concepts
• failure to provide adequate explanations
• inability to predict individual behaviors

Motivation: self-congruent

attention is on self

abilities not well developed

use of abilities is for self verification

stability of behavior is cross situationally consistent

• motivation is to be socially appropriate
• attention is on others for social comparison
• abilities are well developed
• use abilities for strategic self presentation
• stability of behavior is situationally specific

• these people tend to be:
• positives: pragmatic
• negatives: wishy washy
• Good v. bad: operating on extreme ends of norm: either anti-social or pro-social

• these people tend to be:
• positive: principled
• negative: rigid
• good v. bad: dispositions are either nurturant or hostile