The Trait Perspective

By Kayla Cook and Khoi Bui

The View of Trait Perspective
Different peoples have different amount and types of
traits.While most perspective focus on the development of
personalities, the trait perspective identifies and categorize
them. Personalities is break up into traits which together
describe a person personality. Traits can break up in do
different spectrums, there are several psychologist with
several different spectrum to describe a person. Are you
submissive or aggressive, careful or careless
Theorist Gordon Allport
Gordon Allport was one of the trait psychologist to believe personalities are
unique. He categorized over 18,000 word that is use to describe a person into
three major trait
Cardinal traits: Cardinal traits are often hidden, only show during
importants decision that direct your live, they are often found at the end of
your life

Central Traits: Central traits are the most often seen one, they appear
through your daily life. Often use by other to describe you

Secondary Traits: Secondary traits are only seen in threatening situation,

or specific ones
Theorist Hans Eysenck
Hans Eysenck use statistical analysis to break traits into two broad category
that he believe to be determined at birth. The two category he created was
extrovert-introvert scale and the emotionally stable-emotionally
unstable scale

Extrovert tend to be outgoing, while introvert tend to be self contain.

Emotionally stable tend to make good leaders, while unstable are often
moody and anxious
Key Concepts
Big Five Factors Test
Costa and McCrae
The best approximation of
basic trait dimensions
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism (emotional
stability vs instability)
Factor Analysis cont..
The most importance of trait perspective is factor analysis. Factor analysis is
the ability to study a person traits through different theory and categorize a
person. The person can be study by using statistic and identify a pattern.
Different theories have different interpretation of the pattern, depending on
their theory and beliefs.
Ways to Assess
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Isabel Briggs Myers (1987)
Describes important personality differences
126 Questions
Do you usually value sentiment more than
logic or value logic more than sentiment?
Takes your answers and labels them as
indicating (are you a thinking type or a
feeling type? Gives you a complimentary
response.
Used in
Counseling
Leadership Training
Work-Team Development
NOT a research instrument just a counseling tool
Ways to Assess
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
(MMPI)
Starke Hathaway (1960)
Assess abnormal personality tendencies rather than
normal personality traits
Long questionnaires covering a wide range of feelings
and behaviors
Hundreds of True-False Statements
Grouped questions into 10 clinical scales
(masculinity-femininity, introversion-extraversion)
Scored by a computer but it detects if a person is lying
Lie Scale
Evaluation/Criticisms of Trait Perspective
Person-Situation Controversy
Our personality traits relatively stay the same over time,
but the theory ignores that it can change with the situation
Assumes we have traits that are a function of personality,
not situation
BUT some traits are linked to roles and to personas we
use in different cultures, environments, etc
Sad Happy

Situation has Changed

The Social-Cognitive Perspective
By James Simpson and Emma
Wilbur
Overview
The idea of how the interaction of our personality traits corresponds with our situations.
Theorists focus on how we and our environment react more specifically.

The social part of this perspective is the conditioning or observing others and modeling
our behavior after theirs. The cognitive part is what we think about our situations affects
our behaviors.
Contributors
Albert Bandura suggested the idea of the social - cognitive perspective. He even called his view of
the person - environment interaction as reciprocal determinism which is, behavior, internal personal
factors, and environmental influences, all operate as interlocking determinants of each other. The
three ways we interact with the environment are: different people choose different environments,
our personalities shape how we interpret and react to events, and our personalities help create
situations to which we react.
Assessment Strategies
The most effective way to assess the social cognitive perspective is through
observation in realistic situations. (Simulations)

The best means of predicting future behavior is through past behaviors in

similar situations rather than personality tests.
Evaluations/Criticisms
Critics say that this perspective focuses too much on the situation that it
ignores a person's inner traits.

The situation does guide behavior but other unconscious motives such as
emotions tend to overshadow it.
The Humanistic Perspective
By Kelsey Bjorklund & Rachel
Barndt
View & Explanation
Humanistic

The humanistic approach is the study of ones personality from the

perspective of an individuals specific experience

Emphasizes the ethics of human nature & human values

Humanistic psychology also claims that a persons mental consciousness

is the main focus point and that people have free will

Humanistic approach says that people are in charge and responsible for
their actions and have the freedom and will to determine their attitudes
and behaviors
Key Contributors
Abraham Maslow-- an American psychologist that proposed the Hierarchy of Needs,
which extended the idea to include his observations of humans innate curiosity. Maslow
wanted to understand what motivates people.
Carl Rogers-- a Humanistic psychologist who agreed with Maslows main points, but also
stated that for a person to grow, they need an environment that provides them with
genuineness, acceptance, and empathy. Rogers believed that every person can achieve
their goals, wishes and desires in life.
Concepts
Hierarchy of Needs: Self actualization (self fulfillment needs), Esteem needs (psychological needs),
Belongingness & love needs (psychological needs), Safety needs (basic needs), Physiological needs
(basic needs)

Johari Window: Understanding & training self awareness, personal development, improving
communications

Rogers self theory: The self is the executive or organizing center of the personality, the I that determines
how we relate to the world and pursue our goals

Maslows concept of self-actualization: Self actualization is a concept of personality and motivation

Culture and self identity: Self identity is influenced by collectivistic or individualistic cultural values
Concepts contd.
- Humanists felt that emphasizing unconscious thoughts denied human ideas, and the effect their
conscious mindset had on their personality
- Humans have free will and not all behavior is determined
- Individuals are unique and have an inborn drive to reach their maximum potential
- Humanistic psychologists look at individuals behavior not only through the perspective of the
observer, but from the view of the human doing the action
- The Humanistic approach is also called phenomenological
personality is studied from the P.O.V. of the human's subjective experience
- Rogers and Maslow both described personal growth and fulfillment in life as a personal motive
Terms
Personal growth-- Psychological development, in particular when a person takes responsibility and an active role in the
process

Autonomy-- A person's power to initiate the thoughts and actions they choose

Self concept-- The Image of self is based on life experiences and the reflection of attitudes of significant others in our lives

Existential-- Relating to the experience of being and existing and all that this implies

Transpersonal-- The study of experiences in which the sense of identity of self extends to encompass spiritual aspects of
being

Peak performance-- A specific state of consciousness characterized by a sense of delight, wholeness, meaningfulness, etc.
Humanistic Perspective Assessed
The humanistic perspective is an approach to psychology that emphasizes empathy and stresses the
good in human behavior.

In politics and social theory, this approach calls for human rights and equality.
In counseling and therapy, this approach allows an psychologist to focus on ways to help improve
an individuals self-image or self-actualization- the things that make them feel worthwhile.

Humanistic psychologists favor research methods that will allow them to understand other peoples
subjectivity.

Unstructured interviews allows access to other peoples views and experiences without imposing on
them the researchers ideas about what is important
Participant observation is when the researcher takes part in what they are studying in order to
understand how the participant views it
Criticisms
--concepts are too vague

--subjective ideas are difficult to objectify

--an experience that may be real for one individual is not real for another individual

--humanistic psychology is unreliable because it involves too much common sense

and personal opinions

--the individualism can lead to selfishness, self-indulgence, and moral restraints

Citations
McLeod, S. A. (2015). Humanism. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/humanistic.html

Rogers, C. R. (1946). Significant aspects of client-centered therapy. American Psychologist 1, 415-422.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50, 370-96.