Theories of

Personality
(notes)

Theories of Personality 7th Edition

Feist−Feist
ISBN−10: 0−39−043533−3
ISBN−13: 978−0−39−043533−0
Personality
> Originated from the Latin word Persona which referred to a theatrical mask worn by Roman actors in Greek
dramas.
> This is a pattern of relatively permanent traits.
> Unique characteristics that give both consistency and individuality to a person’s behavior.

Traits
> allows individual differences in behavior, consistency of behavior over time, and stability of
behavior across situations.
> may be common to some group, unique to a person, or shared by the entire species only
differing in pattern for each individual.

Characteristics
> unique qualities of an individual
> temperaments, physique, and intelligence.

Theory
Definitions
A set of related assumptions that allows scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to formulate
testable hypothesis
*Remember: A single assumption cannot create an adequate theory. One assumption is not enough. A
single assumption does not integrate several observations which a useful theory requires.
Assumptions are accepted as if they were true but do not forget these are not proven facts since
validity is not yet established. Treating assumptions as if they were true allows scientist to conduct a useful
research and the results can build and reshape the original theory.
Logical deductive reasoning allows/used by the researchers to formulate a hypothesis.
Testable as a qualifier. A hypothesis must/can be tested in some way or else, it is useless.

• Theories and research data have a cyclic relationship: Theory gives meaning to data, and data result
from experimental research designed to test hypotheses generated by the theory.

What makes a Theory useful?

• A theory has a mutual and dynamic interaction with research data.
o A theory must generate a number of hypotheses that can be investigated through research, thus
yielding research data. The data from the research flows back to theory and can restructure the
theory.
o From the new restructured theory, scientists can extract hypotheses again that will reshape and
enlarge the theory.
• A useful theory organized the data into a meaningful structure and provides an explanation for the
results of scientific research.
o If a theory can no longer generate additional research or cannot explain related research data,
the theory loses its usefulness and will be set aside.
• A useful theory must lend itself to confirmation or disconfirmation.
o Six criteria:
A useful theory
1. generates research (the theory’s ability to stimulate and guide further research)
2. is falsifiable (capacity for some proposition, statement, theory or hypothesis to
be proven wrong.)
3. organizes data ability to be able to organize those research data that are not
incompatible with each other)
4. guides action (theory’s ability to guide the practitioner over the rough course of
day-to-day problems)

Theories of Personality 7th Edition

Feist−Feist
ISBN−10: 0−39−043533−3
ISBN−13: 978−0−39−043533−0
 5. is internally consistent (components are logically compatible. Its limitations of
scope are carefully defined and it does not offer explanations that lie beyond that
scope.), and
6. is parsimonious (the principle that the simplest explanation that can explain
the data is to be preferred.)

Dimensions for a Concept of Humanity

• Personality theories differ on basic issues concerning the nature of humanity.

• Each personality theory reflects its author’s assumptions about humanity. Each personality theorist has
had either an implicit or explicit concept of humanity.
• These assumptions rest on several broad dimensions that separate the various personality theorists.
• These assumptions and other basic issues that separate personality theorists have resulted in truly
different personality theories, not merely differences in terminology.
• The differences are philosophical and deep-seated. Each personality theory reflects the individual
personality of its creator, and each creator has a unique philosophical orientation, shaped in part by
early childhood experiences, birth order, gender, training, education, and pattern of interpersonal
relationships.

6 Dimensions as a framework

We use six of these dimensions as a framework for viewing each theorist’s concept of humanity. Also,
concepts of human nature can be discussed from six perspectives:

1. Determinism vs. free choice - more of a philosophical than scientific dimension. Theorists’ view on
the issue shapes their way of looking at people and influences their concept of humanity.
• Are people’s behaviors determined by forces over which they have no control, or can people
choose to be what they wish to be?
• Can behavior be partially free and partially determined at the same time?

2. Pessimism vs. Optimism - Theorists who believe in determinism tend to be pessimistic (Skinner was
a notable exception). And theorists who believe in free choice are usually optimistic.
Mnemonic: Pessimistic = Determinism | Optimistic = Free Choice
• Are people doomed to live miserable, conflicted, and troubled lives, or can they change and
grow into psychologically healthy, happy, fully functioning human beings?
3. Causality vs Teleology -
• Causality holds that behavior is a function of past experiences. Do people act as they do
because of what has happened to them in the past?
.
• Teleology is an explanation of behavior in terms of future goals or purposes. Or do they act as
they do because they have certain expectations of what will happen in the future?

4. Conscious versus Unconscious determinants of behavior - What divides the theorists in this
dimension is the attitude.
Conscious determinants of behavior - Are people ordinarily aware of what they are doing and why they
are doing it?
Unconscious determinants of behavior - Are there any forces on effect and drive them to act without
awareness of these underlying forces.
5. Biological versus Social influences on personality
• Are people mostly creatures of biology, or are their personalities shaped largely by their social
relationships?
• A more specific element of this issue is heredity versus environment; that is, are personal
characteristics more the result of heredity, or are they environmentally determined?
Theories of Personality 7th Edition
Feist−Feist
ISBN−10: 0−39−043533−3
ISBN−13: 978−0−39−043533−0
6. Uniqueness versus Similarities
• Is the salient feature of people their individuality, or is it their common characteristics?
• Should the study of personality concentrate on those traits that make people alike, or should it
look at those traits that make people different?

Research in Personality Theory

The reliability of a measuring instrument is the extent to which it yields consistent results.
Validity is the degree to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure.

Did not use Reliability & Validity Used Reliability & Validity

Sigmund Freud Julian Rotter,

Alfred Adler Hans Eysenck
Carl Jung Five-Factor Theorists

• used some form of projective tool but did not heavily • developed and used a
relied on reliability and validity number of personality
• later theorists of these 3 spawned a number of measures
standardized personality inventories as researchers • have relied heavily on
and clinicians have sought to measure units of them in constructing
personality proposed by those theorists. their theoretical models.

Types of Validity
1. Construct Validity
• Construct validity is the extent to which an instrument measures some hypothetical construct.

• Constructs such as extraversion, aggressiveness, intelligence, and emotional stability have no

physical existence; they are hypothetical constructs that should relate to observable behavior.

Three important types of construct validity are

convergent validity (A measuring instrument has convergent construct validity to the extent that
scores on that instrument correlate highly (converge) with scores on a variety of valid measures of that
same construct.)
divergent validity (An inventory has divergent construct validity if it has low or insignificant
correlations with other inventories that do not measure that construct.), and
discriminant validity (An inventory has discriminant validity if it discriminates between two
groups of people known to be different).

2. Predictive Validity

• Predictive validity is the extent that a test predicts some future behavior.

• The ultimate value of any measuring instrument is the degree to which it can predict some
future behavior or condition.

• For example, a test of extraversion has predictive validity if it correlates with future behaviors,
such as smoking cigarettes, performing well on scholastic achievement tests, taking risks, or
any other independent criterion.

Theories of Personality 7th Edition

Feist−Feist
ISBN−10: 0−39−043533−3
ISBN−13: 978−0−39−043533−0