Search results for: trait theory

The OCEAN of Personality If you look at the theories we’ve discussed so far, not only within the trait theory camp, but also those of Hans Eysenck and even Sigmund Freud, you may start to notice some commonalities.  Many different researchers, from different schools of thought have studied the aspects of personality and several interesting…

Introduction to Trait Theory Practically all personality theorists are concerned with traits.  After all, traits are what make us who we are; they are the relatively permanent aspects of each of us evidenced by the consistency in our interactions.  Knowing this, what makes the trait approach to understanding personality different from the other theories? First…

From Theory to Research to Practice The definition of personality refers to an enduring pattern of interacting with the self and the world.  Personality, by definition, in somewhat rigid and difficult to change.  Every one of us can identify aspects of our own personality that we see as positive and healthy as well as those…

Humanistic Theory: Against the Basics of Science Humanistic theory is not one that was easily researched in the beginning.  First of all, there are few tests that a humanists would use due to their main belief that people are basically good and the focus of treatment should be on the positive rather than the negative. …

The Functionally Autonomous Central Traits Gordon Allport was born in Indiana, the youngest of four boys.  As a child he felt different from others, both in his childhood play and his interests.  After high school followed his older brother Floyd through the same educational path.  They went to the same undergraduate program, both attended Harvard…

Genetic Research and Biological Theory How do we go about determining if a trait, a temperament, or a personality feature is inherited through biology or the environment?  This question has been answered in part through genetic research.  Genetic research, in relation to personality development, refers to studying the role of genetic and environmental factors through…

What is Personality Everybody’s heard the term personality, and most of us can describe our own or our friend’s personality.  What most don’t know, however, is that personality is one of the most theorized and most researched aspects of psychology. So what is personality?  To understand this concept, you first need to understand the difference…

Section 1: Changing Personality Assessing the Power of Change While all of the personality theories discussed in this text have focused at least some of their attention on understanding personality and identifying aspects of personality, most are also concerned with the application of theory in order to facilitate personality change.  The exceptions to this include…