THE TRAIT APPROACH: THE GENETICS PERSONALITY

ANCIENT GREEKS: FOUR MONKS

1. HIPPORCRATES (400 BC)
- Father of Medicine
- He developed a medical model that is based on the four basic elements: earth, air, fire,
water and attributed these elements to four fluids within the body, called HUMORS
- Personality traits were constitutionally based, determined by biological functioning.
HUMORS
- From Latin word “umor” meaning body fluids
- Believed that the causes of these different personality types were internal bodily fluids aka
humors

2. GALEN (140 AD)

- Temperaments based on 4 elements by Hippocrates
- Saw connection of four humors or body fluids and emotional and behavioral inclinations:
TEMPERAMENTS
- IMBALANCES IN HUMORS determines the personality type and inclination toward certain
illnesses

ELEMENT FLUID PRODUCED HUMOR CHARACTER

BY
Fire Yellow Spleen Choleric Irritable, Fiery, Energetic, Passionate
Bile
Earth Black Gall bladder Melancholic Depressed, sad, fearful, poetic, artistic
Bile
Air Blood Liver Sanguine Optimistic. Warm-hearted. Cheerful,
confident, selfish
Water Phleg Lungs Phlegmatic Calm, Kind, Cool, Rational, Consistent
m

3. WILLIAM SHELDON THREE BODY TYPES ASSOCIATED WITH

- Body types of person determine trait DIFFERENT TEMPERAMENTS
- Personality typology based on body
a. Ectomorph
build
- Sociable, relaxed, affectionate, even-
- Considers PERSONALITY TRAITS OR
tempered
CHARACTERISTICS TO BE LARGELY
FIXED, that is, constant and unvarying
b. Mesomorph
regardless of the situations in which we
- Energetic, competitive, aggressive, bold
find ourselves
 c. Endomorph iii. Opposed the collection of data from
- Inhibited, apprehensive, intellectual, emotionally disturbed persons
introverted, self-conscious - The only way to collect data is from
emotionally mature and healthy adults
TRAIT APPROACH
- Behavior is determined by relatively Whereas Freud saw a continuum between
stable traits which are the fundamental normal and abnormal personalities, Allport
units of one’s personality saw a clear distinction. To Allport, the
abnormal personality functioned at an
TRAITS infantile level.
- a relatively stable, consistent, and
iv. Emphasis on the uniqueness of
enduring internal characteristic that is
personality as defined by each person’s
inferred from a pattern of behaviors,
traits
attitudes, feelings, and habits in the
- Personality is not general or universal
individual.
- Everybody is different from one another
GORDON ALLPORT: TRAIT THEORY THE NATURE OF PERSONALITY
DIFFERENCES OF ALLPORT AND FREUD’S PERSONALITY
STUDY ON PERSONALITY - dynamic organization within the
individual of those psychophysical
i. Emotionally healthy people function in
systems that determine characteristic
rational and conscious terms, aware
behavior and thought.
and in control of many of the forces
that motivate them
a. Dynamic Organization
- Unconscious forces do not dominate
- GROWTH that is organized and not
the personality of normal, mature
random
adults.
- Changes are still organized
- The unconscious is important only in
neurotic or disturbed behavior.
b. Psychophysical Systems
- Personality is composed of MIND AND
ii. Historical determination
BODY: goes together as a unit working
- We are not prisoners of childhood
hand in hand
conflicts and past experiences, as Freud
- Personality is neither all biological nor
believed. Rather, we are guided more by
mental
the present and by our view of the
future.
c. Determine
People are “busy leading their lives into the - Determines all facets of personality that
future, whereas psychology, for the most is being activated or direct specific
part, is busy tracing them into the past” behaviors and thoughts
(Allport, 1955, p. 51).
 iv. Traits are interrelated; they may
d. Characteristic behavior and thought overlap, even though they represent
- Everything we think or do is different characteristics.
characteristic or typical of us - Aggressiveness and Hostility
- Each person is unique
v. Traits vary with the situation.
- Person may display trait different from
HEREDITY AND ENVIRONMENT (NATURE
other situations
AND NURTURE)
TWO DISTINCT PERSONALITIES 1. INDIVIDUAL TRAITS
A. Childhood - Unique to a person and define his or
B. Adulthood her character
- Allport relabeled it as PERSONAL
- Personality is discrete or discontinuous DISPOSITION.
- Found that there is NO CONTINUUM - Traits that are peculiar to an individual,
BETWEEN CHILDHOOD AND as opposed to traits shared by a number
ADULTHOOD of people.
- Adult Personality is not constrained by - Do not all have the same intensity or
Childhood Experiences significance.
Types:

CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAITS a. Cardinal Traits

- The MOST PERVASIVE AND POWERFUL
i. Personality traits are real and exist
that dominates human behavior.
within each of us.
- Inclined to their name: Narcissus –
- not theoretical constructs or labels that
Narcissistic; Hitler – ruthless/dictator
made up account for behavior
b. Central Traits
ii. Traits determine or cause behavior.
- Some 5 to 10 themes that best describe
- They do not arise only on a certain
our behavior.
stimulus
- The handful of OUTSTANDING TRAITS
- Traits motivate us to seek certain stimuli
that describe a person’s behavior.
and interact to the environment to
produce certain behavior
c. Secondary Traits
- The LEAST IMPORTANT TRAITS, which a
iii. Traits can be demonstrated empirically
person may display inconspicuously and
- By observing people around us, we can
inconsistently.
infer the existence of traits in the
- These traits are WEAK that only a close
consistency of responses to stimuli
friend would notice evidence of them.
- Example: preference for a particular
type of music or for a certain food
2. COMMON TRAITS MOTIVATION
- Shared by a number of people , such as - Individual’s current state that is
the members of a culture important – COGNITIVE PROCESS
- Change over time as social standards
and values change COGNITIVE PROCESS
- Subject to social, environmental, and - Conscious plans and intentions
cultural influences - These are vital aspects for personality
- Allport relabeled it as TRAITS - WHAT WE WANT AND WHAT WE
STRIVE for are the keys to understand
HABITS AND ATTITUDES our behavior
- Traits and personal dispositions are
distinct from different characteristics Allport explain the present, in terms of the
such as habits and attitudes future, rather than past that no longer
- These are capable of initiating and activate adult behavior
guiding behavior
- Factor leading a person to exhibit trait FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY
- A GENERAL PRINCIPLE OF MOTIVATION
A. HABITS stating that during the performance of
- More limited impact than trait and purposeful, goal-oriented behavior,
personal dispositions because they are various DERIVATIVE drives emerge as
relatively inflexible and involve specific INDEPENDENT units from the original
response to a specific stimulus drive that inspired the behavior.
- May combine to form a single trait - Forces that motivate us early in life
become AUTONOMOUS OR
B. ATTITUDES INDEPENDENT of their original
- Have specific objects of reference and circumstances
involve either positive or negative
evaluations. Adult motives cannot be understood by
- SPECIFIC OBJECTS OF REFERENCE: A exploring a person’s childhood. The only
person has an attitude toward way to understand them is to investigate
something, for example, toward red- how people behave as they do today.
haired people, a musical group, or a
brand of athletic shoe TWO LEVELS OF FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY
- EITHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE A. Perseverative Functional Autonomy
ELEMENTS: They lead a person to like or - Relates to low-level and routine
hate, to accept or reject, to approach behaviors.
or avoid an object. - REPETITIVE ACTIONS
- Behavior is continuous or persevere on
MOTIVATION: THE FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY your own without external reward
OF MOTIVES
- Allport’s view on motivation: PRESENT
 B. Propriate Functional Autonomy Not all behaviors and motives could be
- Relates to our values, self-image, and explained by the principles of functional
lifestyle. autonomy.
- Derive from the word “PROPRIUM” - drives fixations are not under the
which means ego or self. control of these principles
- Essential in understanding adult
personality PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN
- Propriate motives are unique to the CHILDHOOD: THE UNIQUE SELF
individual. A. PROPRIUM
- EGO/PROPRIUM determines which - Aspects of personality that are
motives are maintained and discarded distinctive and thus appropriate to our
- MAINTAINED: motives that enhance our emotional life.
self-esteem and self-image
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPRIUM
PROPORTIONATE FUNCTIONING IS AN - Before the proprium begins to emerge,
ORGANIZING PROCESS THAT MAINTAINS the infant experience no self-
OUR TRUE SENSE OF SELF consciousness or no awareness at all
- Determines (1) how we perceive the
world, (2) what we remember from our STAGES:
experiences and (3) how thoughts are STAGES 1-3 emerge during the first three
directed years.

IT IS GOVERNED BY THESE THREE 1. Bodies self

PRINCIPLES: - In this stage, infants become aware of
i. Organizing the energy level their own existence and distinguish
- How we acquire new motives their own bodies from objects in the
- Motives arise from necessity and help environment.
consume excess energy that we might
express in harmful/destructive ways 2. Self-identity
- Realize that their identity remains intact
ii. Mastery and competence despite the many changes that are
- For a healthy mature adult, they are taking place
motivated to perform better and
efficiently and master new skills to 3. Self-esteem
increase degree of competence - Children learn to take pride in their
accomplishments.
iii. Propriate patterning
- Striving for consistency and integration STAGES 4 AND 5 emerge during the fourth
of personality through sixth year.
4. Extension of self
- In this stage, children come to recognize THE HEALTHY ADULT PERSONALITY
the objects and people that are part of
their own world. 1. The mature adult extends his or her
sense of self to people and to activities
5. Self-image beyond the self. (Gemeinschaftsgefuhl)
- Children develop actual and idealized
images of themselves and their 2. The mature adult relates warmly to
behavior and become aware of other people, exhibiting intimacy,
satisfying or failing to satisfy parental compassion, and tolerance.
expectations.
3. The mature adult’s SELF-ACCEPTANCE
6. Self as rational coper helps him or her achieve emotional
- STAGE 6 develops during ages 6-12. security.
Children begin to apply reason and logic
to the solution of everyday problems. 4. The mature adult holds a realistic
perception of life, develops personal
7. Proportionate striving skills, and makes a commitment to
- STAGE 7 develops during adolescence. some type of work.
Young people begin to formulate long-
range goals and plans. 5. The mature adult has a sense of humor
and self-objectification.
8. Adulthood
- NORMAL, MATURE ADULTS are 6. The mature adult SUBSCRIBES TO A
functionally autonomous, independent UNIFYING PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE, which
of childhood motives. is responsible for directing the
- They function rationally in the present personality toward future goals.
and consciously create their own
lifestyles. VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
Free will vs determinism
PARENT-CHILD INTERACTIONS Nature vs nurture
A. Infant-mother bond Past experiences vs Present experiences
- source of affection and security. Uniqueness vs Universality
Equilibrium vs Growth
If the primary giver provides sufficient Optimism vs Pessimism
affection and security, the PROPRIUM WILL
DEVELOP GRADUALLY AND STEADILY and ASSESSMENT OF ALLPORT’S THEORY
the child achieve positive psychological A. Personal-Document Technique
growth - involves examining diaries,
autobiographies, letters, literary
compositions, and other samples of a
 person’s written or spoken records to
determine the number and kinds of
personality traits.

STUDY OF VALUES
1. Theoretical Values
- EMPHASIS: It is concerned with the
discovery of truth and are characterized
by an empirical, intellectual, and
rational approach to life.

2. Economic Values
- EMPHASIS: It is concerned with the
useful and practical.

3. Aesthetic Values
- EMPHASIS: It is related to artistic
experiences and to form, harmony, and
grace.

4. Social Values
- EMPHASIS: It reflects human
relationships, altruism, and
philanthropy.

5. Political Values
- EMPHASIS: It deals with personal
power, influence, and prestige in all
endeavors, not just in political activities.

6. Religious Values
- EMPHASIS: It is concerned with the
mystical and with understanding the
universe as a whole