Traits (cont’d)

A. Issues

Friendly, confident, independent, generous, poised…

A. Issues (cont’d)

• 3 Fundamental Questions:1. How should we

conceptualize (define) traits?

2. How do we identify the most important traits?

3. How do we formulate a comprehensive taxonomyof traits?

B. Traits as Internal Causal Properties

1. Something internal that has causal “power”.

2. Internal disposition

3. It is not necessarily expressed.• Analogy:

• Glass

C. Traits as Descriptive Summaries

1. No assumptions about internality, or causality, are made.

2. Traits simply as descriptive summaries of attributes of persons.• Sounds a bit like behaviorism to me

3. Example – Jealousy• Olaf’s jealousy (OneNote) – Read this to class

II. Identifying Most Important Traits

A. Lexical Approach

1. What do you think this is?

• According to Allport (Gordon) and Odbert (1936):a) Traits listed and defined in dictionary

b) Form basis of natural way of describing differences bet. people.

c) Logical starting pt. (for identifying traits) is natural language

• Examples: dominant, creative, reliable, co-operative, hot-tempered, self-centered.

A. Lexical Approach (cont’d)

1. Lots of trait terms “codified” as adjectives.

2. Dictionary about 18,000 (Norman, 1967)

3. 2 criteria for identifying important traits:1. Synonym Frequency:

• Important trait = ↑ of synonyms• Example – Dominance:

• Dominant, bossy, assertive, powerful, pushy, forceful, leader-like, domineering, influential, ascendant, authoritative, & arrogant.

• Manipulative• Arrogant• Slothful• Warm

A. Lexical Approach (cont’d)

• And…2. Cross-cultural universality

• ↑ importance of trait = ↑ languages will have a word for the trait• Example – Yanomamo Indians of Venezuela:

• Unokai – Man who has achieved “manhood” by killing another man

• Non-unokai – Man who has not achieved “manhood” by the killing of another man.

• In West – “killer” or “murderer” but no word(s) with same connotation as Yanomamo

• Above = example of ↓ importance = ↓ languages having word(s) for this concept.

B. Statistical Approach

1. Pool of personality itemsa) Trait words

b) Questions about behavior:• I find that I am easily able to persuade people to my point of

view

2. Statistical procedure:• Identify major dimensions, groups, or clusters.

• Things that go together

• Lexical often combined with statistical

B. Statistical Approach (cont’d)

• …You’re going to love this

3. Factor Analysis• “Factor analysis essentially identifies groups of items

that covary (i.e., go together) but tend not to covarywith other groups of items.

B. Statistical Approach (cont’d)

• How do we classify personality traits?• Surface Traits

• Basic Traits

honestSurface Traits

dependable excitable boisterous

impulsive

Basic Traits Trait A Trait B

Factor Analysis

B. Statistical Approach (cont’d)

B. Statistical Approach (cont’d)

4. A word of caution:a) Only get out what you put in…

• Leave out important personality trait…• Won’t show up in analysis• Initial item selection critical

C. Theoretical Approach

1. Theory that determines which variables are important• Examples:

• Psychoanalytic Theory• Measure “Oral personality”

• Measure “Anal personality”

• Self-Actualization Theorist (e.g., Maslow)• Measure individual differences in degree to which people “self-

actualize”

• How about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?• Based upon theory/ideas developed by Carl Jung

III. Some Taxonomies

A. Background

1. Classifying Personality Traits

Entry Word: anxious

Function: adjective

Text: 1

Synonyms AFRAID 1, aghast, ||ascared, fearful, frightened, scared,

scary, terrified

Related Word agitated, apprehensive, jittery, perturbed, upset,

worried; alarmed, bothered, disquieted, troubled, uneasy

Idioms ill at ease

Contrasted Words calm, collected, cool, easy, imperturbable,

unruffled; assured, confident, sanguine, sure

A. Background (cont’d)

• Gordon Alport (1937)• Some 250 traits???...

• Factor analysis

• 16 basic traits – Raymond Cattell (1950)

B. Cattell (1950)

Reserved

Less Intelligent

Affected by Feelings

Submissive

Serious

Expedient

Timid

Tough-minded

Trusting

Practical

Forthright

Self-assured

Conservative

Group-dependant

Relaxed

Uncontrolled

Outgoing

More Intelligent

Emotionally Stable

Dominant

Happy-go-lucky

Conscientious

Venturesome

Sensitive

Suspicious

Imaginative

Shrewd

Apprehensive

Experimenting

Self-sufficient

Tense

Controlled

Classifying (cont’d)

• 16 basic traits – Raymond Cattell (1950)

• “Big Five” basic traits• Robert McCrae and Paul Costa (1987)

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

(Constraint)

Openness to

Experience

Neuroticism

(Negative

Emotionality)

Extraversion

(Positive

Emotionality)

Extraversion

(Positive

Emotionality)

sociable

outgoing

upbeat friendly

assertive

gregarious

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

(Constraint)

Openness to

Experience

Extraversion

(Positive

Emotionality)

Neuroticism

(Negative

Emotionality)insecure

anxious

hostile

vulnerable

self-conscious

Neuroticism

(Negative

Emotionality)

curiosity

imaginativeness

flexibilityAgreeableness

Conscientiousness

(Constraint)

Extraversion

(Positive

Emotionality)

Neuroticism

(Negative

Emotionality)

Openness to

Experience

unconventional attitudes

artistic sensitivity

vivid fantasy

Openness to

Experience

Conscientiousness

(Constraint)

Extraversion

(Positive

Emotionality)

Neuroticism

(Negative

Emotionality)

Openness to

Experience

sympathetic

cooperative

trustingAgreeableness

modest

straight forward

Agreeableness

Extraversion

(Positive

Emotionality)

Neuroticism

(Negative

Emotionality)

Openness to

Experience

Agreeableness

Conscientiousness

(Constraint)

diligent

disciplined

punctual

dependable

well-organized

Conscientiousness

(Constraint)

Big Five

• 5 Traits• Extraversion

• Outgoing, sociable, upbeat, friendly, assertive, gregarious

• Neuroticism• Anxious, hostile, self-conscious, insecure, vulnerable

• Openness to Experience• Curiosity, flexibility, vivid fantasy, imaginativeness, artistic

sensitivity, unconventional attitudes

• Agreeableness• Sympathetic, trusting, cooperative, modest, straightforward

• Conscientiousness• Diligent, disciplined, well-organized, punctual, dependable

Wikipedia Entry on Big Five

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

• See “facet” or “primary” traits• Under heading “Five Factors”:

• 3rd paragraph after “neuroticism”

Classifying Personality Traits

• “Big Five”• Pluses

• Highly replicated.

• Widely accepted.

• Minuses• Descriptive only (this is important).

• Simplistic??

• So, what are some personality theories that attempt to get at causal and developmental factors?

Myers Briggs Type Indicator

• Katharine Cook Briggs

• Isabel Briggs Myers

• Inspired by Carl Jung’s Psychological Types (1921)

• Theory driven?

• MBTI Wikipedia