Search results
- Psychodynamic theories. Sigmund Freud laid the foundation for psychodynamic personality theories with his proposal of the id, the ego, and the superego.
- Trait theories. Trait theory is one of the most popular types of personality theories. It proposes that people’s personalities vary according to which basic personality traits are more dominant.
- Humanistic theories. The humanistic approach to theories of personality involves understanding not only behavior and thought patterns, but also what someone believes gives their life meaning.
- Social cognitive theories. Social cognitive theories of personality include several schools of thought like behaviorism, social learning theory, and expectancy-value theory.
- Trait Approach to Personality
- Eysenck’s Personality Theory
- Cattell’s 16Pf Trait Theory
- Allport’s Trait Theory
- References
This approach assumes behavior is determined by relatively stable traits, the fundamental units of one’s personality. Traits predispose one to act in a certain way, regardless of the situation. This means that traits should remain consistent across situations and over time, but may vary between individuals. It is presumed that individuals differ in...
Eysenck (1952, 1967, 1982) proposed a theory of personality based on biological factors, arguing that individuals inherit a type of nervous system that affects their ability to learn and adapt to the environment. During the 1940s, Eysenck was working at the Maudsley psychiatric hospital in London. His job was to make an initial assessment of each p...
Raymond Cattell (1965) disagreed with Eysenck’s view that personality can be understood by looking at only two or three dimensions of behavior. Instead, he argued that it was necessary to look at a much larger number of traits in order to get a complete picture of someone’s personality. Whereas Eysenck based his theory based on the responses of hos...
Gordon Allport’s theory of personality emphasizes the uniqueness of the individual and the internal cognitive and motivational processes that influence behavior. For example, intelligence, temperament, habits, skills, attitudes, and traits. Allport (1937) believes that personality is biologically determined at birth, and shaped by a person’s enviro...
Adorno, T. W., Frenkel-Brunswik, E., Levinson, D. J., & Sanford, R. N. (1950).The authoritarian personality. New York: Harper and Row (pp. 228). Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: H. Holt and. Company. Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Cattell, R. B. (1965). T...
Jun 14, 2011 · Abstract. Classic personality theories, although intriguing, are outdated. The five-factor model of personality traits reinvigorated personality research, and the resulting findings spurred a new generation of personality theories.
- Robert R. McCrae
- 2011
Humanistic Theories. Five-Factor Theory: Personality Is Based on Biology. Using the Big Five traits (or five-factor model) as a foundation, Five-Factor Theory proposes that the development of...
There is little doubt that the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality traits (the “Big Five”) is currently the dominant paradigm in personality research and one of the most influential models in all of psychology.
- Robert R. McCrae
- 2020
Jan 10, 2023 · This article discusses four of the major perspectives on personality, the theorists associated with each theory, and the core ideas that are central to each perspective. Learning more about these theories can give you greater insight into the many different aspects of human personality.
People also ask
Are classic personality theories outdated?
What'models' shaped our understanding of human personality?
What are the different types of personality theories?
Are personality psychology theories still being tested?
Should personality theories be taught as a science course?
What is a trait theory of personality?
Other theories, such as the Five Factor Model, take a trait theory approach, seeking to understand personality in terms of specific attitudes and types of behavior. In this article, we look at the theories and ‘models’ which have shaped our understanding of human personality.
