PSYX 385 1st Edition Lecture 14 Outline of Last Lecture I. Cognitive approaches to personalityII. Basic premiseIII. Gestalt psychologyIV. Kurt LewinV. George KellyVI. Personal Construct theoryVII. Observational LearningVIII. Albert BanduraOutline of Current LectureI. Trait PsychologyII. General ConsiderationsIII. Gordon AllportCurrent LectureTrait PsychologyGeneral Considerations1. Aim: Establish a taxonomy of individual differencesa. Classification of core dimensions of personalityb. Note: casual vs. descriptive debatec. NOTE: idiographic vs. nomothetic tensiond. Key tools= advanced correlational methodsi. The Importance of language (Allport & Odbert, 1936)1. ‘dictionary game’18,000 descriptors of people2. Basis of the lexical hypothesisThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Gordon Allport (1897-1967) Trait Psychology1.) Traits: predispositions to respond in a similar manner to different stimulia. Enduring: result from physiology and environment i. Subject to social pressuresb. Measurable on a continuumc. Exist internally; we infer existence by observing behaviord. Cause behavior and influence perception; traits have motivational properties2.) Functional equivalence: traits lend consistency to personality. They lead us to…a. View many situations and stimuli similarlyb. Guide equivalent forms of behavior (different behavior has similar function)c. E.g. autonomy of “The Separatist”i. Various stimuli viewed similarly (ie, threats) and activate the trait equivalentii. Builds compound, stockpiles arms, writes manifestos equivalentiii. Consistencies form basis of personalityd. Diverse situations become occasions for behavior expression of outgoing social involvement 3.) Trait classificationa. A point re: distinctivenessi. Personal dispositions: we are unique, no two traits are exactly the sameii. Common traits:1. Some traits similar enough to be ‘common’b. Pervasivenessi. Cardinal dispositions: overwhelming influence on behavior (apply toa relative few people)ii. Central dispositions: apply to many people1. Fundamental personality characteristics2. The subject of recommendations lettersiii. Implications: each personality is unique…1. Traits= the fundamental unit…2. An idiographic approach: same dimensions can NOT be applied to all
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