Prepared by: Annie Jane

P. Tagum
CONTENTS:
I. The Life of Cattell
II. Trait Theory Approach to Personality
III. Assessment Techniques in Cattell’s Theory
IV. Categories of Traits
V. Dynamic Traits: The Motivating Factors
VI. The Influence of Heredity and Environment
VII. Constitutional VS. Environmental-mold trait
VIII. The 16 Primary Traits of Cattell’s Personality Theory
IX. Stages of Personality Development
X. Evaluation’s of Cattell’s Theory.
THE LIFE OF CATTELL (1905-1998)
RAYMOND BERNARD
Full Name:
CATTELL
•Born in March 20, 1905 Hill top, West Bromwhich
England. He grew up in Devon.
•He developed interest in science early on life and went
to become the first person from his family to attend
college, earning BS in Chemistry from king’s College
when he was 19.
•After witnessing the devastation of WW1, Cattell
developed an interest in using science to solve human
problems.
•Thus, he decided to change his field of study and pursue
Ph.D in Psychology University College in London in
1929.
THE LIFE OF CATTELL (1905-1998)
•While working on his Ph.D, Cattell did his
graduate work with Charles Spearman who has
developed the technique for Factor Analysis.
•After being Awarded his Ph.D, realized that there
were few jobs for Psychologist. He did some
lecturing at Exeter University for 3 years.
•During his 3 years in Exeter, Cattell courted and
Married Monica rogers ( whom he had known
since his boyhood in Devon and they had a son
together. She left him about 4 years later.)
THE LIFE OF CATTELL (1905-1998)
•In 1938, he became a professor at Clark University
by the invitation of psychologist Edward Thorndike.
•1941, Cattell moved to Harvard after being invited
by Gordon Allport. Married Alberta Karen
Schuettler- A Mathematician. Divorced in 1980.
•1945, took a position at the University of Illinois
where he established a research department.
•Also during WW2, cattell served as civilian
consultant to the U.S Government researching and
developing test for selecting officers in the Armed
Forces.
•Cattell moved to the University of Illinois for 30
years was because the first electronic computer built
and owned entirely by a US educational institution -
"Illinois Automatic Computer" - was being developed
there, which made it possible for him to complete
large-scale factor analyses.
THE LIFE OF CATTELL (1905-1998)
•In 1949, he and his wife founded the Institute for
Personality and Ability Testing (IPAT).
•In 1977, Cattell moved to Hawaii, largely
because of his love of the ocean and sailing. He
continued his career as a part-time professor and
adviser at the University of Hawaii
• After settling in Hawaii he married Heather
Birkett, a clinical psychologist, who later carried
out extensive research using the 16PF and other
tests
•Around 1990, he had to give up his sailing career
because of navigational challenges resulting from
old age. He died at home in Honolulu on 2
February 1998, at age 92 years
TRAIT THEORY APPROACH TO PERSONALITY
•Raymond Cattell (1950) considered personality to be a pattern of Traits providing the key
to understand it and predicting a person’s behavior.
•Cattell was interested in classifying people based on their different kinds of personalities.
•To establish a “Common Taxonomy” of Personality Traits.
•He argues that behavior can be predicted if variables known.
•He defined Traits as relatively permanent reaction tendencies that are basic structure of
personality.
1. Surface Trait and Source Trait. (the 2 Major types of Trait)
2. Ability, temperament & Dynamic Trait.
3. Constitutional & Environmental-mold traits
•Cattell thought that clinicians observations were not a scientific basis for
understanding or classifying personality.
•He took a statistical, measurable approach to studying personality
rather than utilizing observational and qualitative data. –Factor
Analysis.
•Cattell used the Inductive Method of gathering data to develop his
theory of personality. Observation-Pattern-Tentative hypothesis-Theory.
•He categorized data into 3 data types into: L-Data, T-Data, Q-Data.
ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN CATTELL’S
THEORY

L-Data (Life Records)- One’s Life Record. Information about

an individual's everyday behaviors and their behavioral patterns.
Pros: information can be obtained with requiring Ss to fill out
questionnaires.
Cons: provides limited information about the individual.
ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN CATTELL’S
THEORY

T-Data (Experimental)- Recorded reactions to

standardized experiments in a lab setting, designed to test study
participant's response to certain situations.
Pros: this should reduce impression managing; provides objective
data.
Cons -objective tests may be of limited use.
ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN CATTELL’S
THEORY

Q-Data (Questionnaires) – Self rating questionnaires.

Gathered data by allowing participants to assess their own
behaviors.
Pros —easy to administer & quick access to information.
Con – people may impression manage (e.g., lie to make
themselves look good)
CATEGORIES OF TRAITS
Cattell defined Traits as relatively permanent reaction tendencies.
1. Common Traits – Shared by many however some people may have
greater extent than to others.
2. Unique Traits- Peculiar to one individual.
3. Surface Traits – Traits that show a correlation but do not constitute a
factor because they are not determined by a single source.
4. Source Traits- basic underlying factors that builds up our personality.
Also, these are factors that summarize the correlations among surface
traits.
5. Ability Traits- Determine how efficiently we will be able to work
toward a goal. Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence.
CATEGORIES OF TRAITS
Cattell Argued that we have 2 types of Intelligence.
1. Fluid Intelligence- The Innate ability to learn, reason and think
flexibly w/o needing past information.
2. Crystallized Intelligence- Refers to the accumulation of
knowledge, facts, skills, experiences that we acquire
throughout life.
CATEGORIES OF TRAITS
6. Temperament- refers to stylistic tendencies that largely show how a person moves
toward a goal or situations.

7. Dynamic Traits- are person’s motivation and interest which set the person in action
toward the goal.
1. Ergs
2. Sentiments
DYNAMIC TRAITS: THE
MOTIVATING FACTORS
Dynamic Traits
 Two kinds
 Ergs (from Greek term for energy ergon)
 Innate (constitutional) energy source or driving force for all behaviors
 Permanent
 Basic units of motivation that direct us toward specific goals
 Needs, instincts or drives
 Creates: (hunger)
 Selective perception
 Emotional response
 Goal directed behavior
 Consummatory response
DYNAMIC TRAITS: THE
MOTIVATING FACTORS
 Ergs
 11 identified
 Anger
 Appeal
 Protection
 Curiosity
 Disgust
 Security
 Gregariousness
 Hunger
 Self-assertion
 Self-submission
 Sex
DYNAMIC TRAITS: THE
MOTIVATING FACTORS
Dynamic Traits
 Two kinds
 Meta-ergs (Sentiments)
 Learned patterns of behavior (environmental-mold) that focus on important aspects of life
 Energy from ergs channeled through these
 Can be unlearned and disappear
 Divided into:
 Sentiments
- Areas of importance to us
 Attitudes
- Specific tendencies and responses toward situations revolving
around our sentiments
THE INFLUENCE OF HEREDITY AND
ENVIRONMENT
•Cattell has tried to determine the relative contributions of
heredity and environment to the development of traits.
• Devised Statistical Technique called Multiple Abstract
Variance Analysis (MAVA).
•Cattell was interested on Twins in regards to their
personality being influenced by their heredity and
environment.
• Cattell believes that much of people’s behavior is
determined by the groups to which they belong (such as
families, peer groups, school, and the like). Just as people
can be described in terms of their traits, so can traits be
used to describe social groups with which people are
associated.
CONSTITUTIONAL VS.
ENVIRONMENTAL-MOLD TRAITS

Source traits can be divided into two subtypes –depending on their origin.
1. Constitutional Traits- derive from the biological and physiological conditions
of the person. Example: Cocaine addiction.

2. Environmental-mold Traits- determined by influences in the social and

physical environment. Example: Behavior of some one being raised in a Rural
Setting or Urban Area.
THE 16 PRIMARY TRAITS OF CATTELL’S
PERSONALITY THEORY
•After extensive factor analytic research, Cattell[1979] concluded that there
are approximately 16 source traits that constitute the underlying structure
of personality.
•He was then able to use a statistical technique known as factor analysis to
identify traits that are related to one another. Factor analysis can be used
to look at enormous amounts of data in order to look for trends and to see
which elements are the most influential or important.
STAGES OF PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Personality Development as described by
Cattell is created through the interaction of
the environment as well as heredity.
We do this through:
• integrative learning- combining our systems
of Values, common sense & problem solving
abilities to attain goals.
•Operant Conditioning- punishment or reward.
•Classical Conditioning- learning to re-think
about stimulus through changing our
responses to it voluntarily.
EVALUATION OF CATTELL’S THEORY
•Highly praised because of its attention to imperical detail, i.e “scientific method”
•Cattell focused on precise measures to study personality structure.
•Most critics not concerned with “tough minded” study of personality.
 The End
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