“ A man likes blue
because he likes
blue!”
PERSONOLOGICAL
TRAIT THEORY
GORDON WILLARD ALLPORT
1897-1967
Born in Montezuma, Indiana in 1897
Youngest of four boys.
Mother was a teacher
Father was a salesman turned doctor
Mother was very religious and her
beliefs and practices dominated the
household
Described himself as skillful with
words but not as an athlete or at sports
or games
Somewhat isolated as a result
Attempted to be center of attention
of the few friends he had
The Life of
Gordon Allport
General feelings of inferiority
Attempted to emulate
accomplishments of his brother Floyd
Went to Harvard and eventually got
his PhD in psychology there
Gordon Allport : Life marked by plain Protestant Piety.
Clean
language
And proper
conduct
Continuous search for
Religious Answers
Meeting with Freud.
_ Not knowing what to talk, he told
Freud about seeing a small boy on the
car earlier that day. The young child
complained of his mother about the
filthy conditions of the car and
announcced that he did not want to sit
near passengers whom he deemed to
be dirty.
.
Freud: “Was that little boy you?”
Allport: Very much embarrassed and
reacted negatively.
“This experience taught me that depth psychology, for all its merits, may
plunge too deep, and that psychologists would do well to give full recognition
to manifest motives before probing the unconscious (Allport, 1968)”.
A. Consistency of Personality
“Remarkably Recognizable”
From Infancy, humans are consistent in
personality even though they may vary
from situation to situation.
B. The Concept of The Self
Self is the major focus of personality growth
C. Interaction of Personality and Social
Influences
Allport recognize the importance of social
factors in influencing an individual
Early Greek
Old Latin
Etruscan
DEFINITION OF PERSONALITY:
ALLPORT (1937) – 5Oth definition
“Personality is a dynamic organization within
the individual of those psychophysical
systems that determine his unique
adjustments to his environment.”
Allport (1961):
Personality is a
dynamic
organization within
the individual of
those psychophysical
systems that
determine his
characteristic
behavior and
thought.
Concept # 1. DYNAMIC ORGANIZATION
PERSONALITY IS:
ORGANIZE AND CHANGING
“the dynamic organization within the individual of those
psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to
the environment”
“Dynamic organization”
Personality is always an organized whole that is constantly
changing and growing (dynamic)
Healthy people are integrated
Unhealthy people fail to integrate
Personality is never something that is, but is something that it
is becoming
Summary:
•Humans are both product and
process.
•People have organized structure
yet is capable of change.
•Pattern coexists with growth.
•Personality is physical +
psychological.
•Not Is Something but Does
Something.
1. What is the role of conscious
motivation
Healthy adults are generally aware of what they
are doing and their reasons for doing it
Important aspects of personality can be
ascertained by direct inquiry.
“If you want to know something about a person…
why not first ask him?”
2. What are the characteristics of a
healthy person
21. Characterized by a proactive behavior
Consciously acting on the environment and causing
the environment to react to them.
2.2. Motivated by conscious processes
Only psychologically unhealthy people are moved
by the unconscious motives that spring from their
childhood experiences.
Criteria 1 : Extension of the
Sense of Self
* Social Interest*
Mature People possess Social Interest)
“Mature individual s continually seek to identify
with and participate in events outside themselves
and develop social interest in work, play, and
recreation.
Criteria 2: Warm Relating of Self to Others
•Capacity to Love*
Individuals with Mature Personality have the
capacity to love in an intimate and
compassionate manner.
Not possessive and Selfish
Possess a Healthy Sexual Attitude, do not
exploit others for personal gratification
Criteria 3 : Emotional Security or Self-
Acceptance
*Emotional Poise*
Psychologically healthy people are not overly
upset when things do not go as planned.
Recognize the fact that frustrations and
inconveniences are part of living.
Criteria 4 : Realistic Perception of their
Environment
*Acceptance of the Real World*
Psychologically healthy people are aware that
they are living in a real world.
Do not bend reality to fit their own wishes and
do not create a world of fantasy.
Not self-centered.
Criteria 5: Insight and Humor
•Nonhostile Sense of Humor*
Psychologically healthy people know
themselves better.
No need to attribute one’s weakness to others.
Possess a nonhostile sense of humor
See themselves objectively
Criteria 6: Unifying Philosophy of Life
•Religious Orientation*
Psychologically Healthy People have a clear
view on the purpose of life.
Religious Orientation is a crucial ingredient.
People with a mature religious attitude and a
unified philosophy of life has a well-developed
conscience and a strong desire to love others.
Allport’s Approach to
Personality Theory:
1.Detailed Definition of
Personality
2.Emphasis on
Conscious Motivation
3.Psychologically
Healthy Individual
Structure of Personality
Overview:
Structure of Personality:
1. Personal Dispositions
Level of Personal Dispositions:
1. Cardinal
2. Central
3. Secondary
Intensity of Personal Dispositions
1. Motivational
2. Stylistic
Location of Personal
Dispositions:
1. Proprium
2. Periphery
Functional Autonomy
1. Perseverative Functional
Autonomy
Theory
• Two main types of traits:
1. Common traits
• Possessed by many people (including cultures) to a varying extent
• How we compare to others (nomethetic research)
• Explains unique variations among people
Theory
2. Personal dispositions (individual traits)
• Unique to or possessed by only one person
– “peculiar to the individual”
• Unique variations within an individual (ideographic research)
• 3 kinds
– Cardinal disposition
» The most significant and dominant feature of an individuals personality
» So pervasive it touches most aspects of a person’s life
» Not many people have these
these are the eminent characteristics or the ruling passion of a certain
individual.
• OUTSTANDING and DOMINEERING
• Exceedingly Prominent
• TWIST: Not all persons have cardinal dispositions and most people do
not have this
Theory
– Central Disposition
» Typify our normal functions
» Usually involves 5 to 10 adjectives
- - type of words we might use to describe
someoneThese are the traits that friends and close
acquaintances would agree are descriptive of that person.
- Less dominating but mark the person as unique and guides
much of a person’s adaptive and stylistic behaviour.
– Secondary dispositions
» Somewhat consistent but less influence as central
traits
» These are the tastes and personal preferences of
an individual.
Short story:
I have a friend named Lucas. He is friendly, generous,
helpful and punctual. His outlook in life is full of optimism,
determinism and enthusiasm. He likes anything that is
cheezy and spicy. His favorite colors are brown and gray
and he hates red and anything flashy. He likes to play
guitar and drums. He likes swimming and running and
preferred to collect European cars.
Pink Balloons w/ L: Identify the Central Dispositions and
Secondary Dispositions of Lucas.
Note:
•The three levels of personal dispositions are
arbitrary points on a continuous scale from most
appropriate to least appropriate.
•Cardinal Dispositions may shade into Central
Dispositions.
•Central Dispositions may blend into Secondary
Dispositions
•Secondary Dispositions are those that are less
descriptive of an individual.
1.Motivational Dispositions – personal
dispositions that are intensely
experienced.
Key Words: INITIATE ACTIONS / Coping Behavior
Source: Basic needs and drives / Tend to
initiate actions
2. Stylistic
Dispositions –
less intensely
experienced
Key Words: Guide
Actions
Expressive Behavior
Example:
Lady with a neat and
impeccable personal
appearance
Motivational Disposition:
Basic need to stay warm
(coping behavior)
Stylistic Disposition: Neat
and Impeccable (the
manner she attire herself-
Expressive Behavior
LOCATION
PROPRIUM
CORE OF
PERSONALITY
PERIPHERY
Personality Development
• Proprium
– His term for the “self”
– The core of our personality
• Those characteristics which we consider to be
“peculiarly mine”
– “the totality of the person as process, an entity that is
becoming”
• Contains the vital physical, psychological, and social
aspects help define our sense of self
– Propriate Striving
Proprium Development
• 1. Bodily sense (birth to age 1)
– What is me and what is not
– The sense of one’s body, its separateness from other
bodies, and its basic parts
• 2. Self Identity (age 1 to 2)
– Names self
– The sense of inner sameness, of continuity to the self,
and having a distinct name
– Depends on capacity for language
Proprium Development
• 3. Self Esteem (age 2 to 3)
– Pride through achievement
– The sense of competence and to feel some self control
over ones environment
– Test the limits of our environment and often refuse to
take orders from others
• 4. Self Extension (age 3-4)
– Identifies “ego extensions”
• The sense of possessing external objects and/or
people
– Eventually helps produce loyalties
Proprium Development
• 5. Self Image (age 4 to 6)
– Good and bad me
– Begin to evaluate present abilities and future
possibilities
– Compare what we do with others expectations of us
• Awareness of satisfying or not satisfying parents
expectations
– Saw this as foundation of adult conscience
• 6. Self as Rational Coper (age 6 to 12)
– Learn problem solving skills, how to think rationally, and
deal with reality
Proprium Development
• 7. Propriate Striving (Age 12 to 20s)
– Motivational period of who a person wants to be and
wants to become (greater influence than past)
– Involves long range goal planning, etc.
– Functional autonomy begins
• 8. Self as knower (adulthood)
– Awareness of self
– Merging of all the other stages
