Dispositional approach and traits
Overview- The specific personality traits
Difference between personality types and traits
Understanding different approaches to studying personality traits and traits, situational, and
temporal consistency.
Finally understanding personality models that have surfaced from the trait approach and how to
evaluate them.
“Personality is the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are
organized and relatively enduring and that influence his or her interactions with, and adaptations to,
the intrapsychic, physical and social environments”
(Larsen, Buss, Wismeijer & Song, 2017, p. 3)
Trait definition- Characteristics that help describe the differences in individuals.
Set of traits- A collection of traits, no correlation to types.
Organised and relatively enduring- stable but able to be influenced.
Interactions- With oneself, the environment and people.
Unlike personality types, traits are on a continuum, and we usually only use one pole/scale end of
this continuum when communicating.
Goals of trait theory
To be able to describe the basic classes of behaviour that can define human personality.
Come up with ways of measuring patterns of behaviour as individual differences in personality.
(Quantitative characterization.)
To understand and predict behaviour.
Overall, we use personality traits to describe an individual’s characteristics or their behaviour and to
give an explanation for thinking, feeling and acting within people. However, this is not to say that
traits cause behaviour- it is merely a description. And that some internal needs and drives are
unknown, or seldom expressed until required for measurement.
Overview- The specific personality traits
Difference between personality types and traits
Understanding different approaches to studying personality traits and traits, situational, and
temporal consistency.
Finally understanding personality models that have surfaced from the trait approach and how to
evaluate them.
“Personality is the set of psychological traits and mechanisms within the individual that are
organized and relatively enduring and that influence his or her interactions with, and adaptations to,
the intrapsychic, physical and social environments”
(Larsen, Buss, Wismeijer & Song, 2017, p. 3)
Trait definition- Characteristics that help describe the differences in individuals.
Set of traits- A collection of traits, no correlation to types.
Organised and relatively enduring- stable but able to be influenced.
Interactions- With oneself, the environment and people.
Unlike personality types, traits are on a continuum, and we usually only use one pole/scale end of
this continuum when communicating.
Goals of trait theory
To be able to describe the basic classes of behaviour that can define human personality.
Come up with ways of measuring patterns of behaviour as individual differences in personality.
(Quantitative characterization.)
To understand and predict behaviour.
Overall, we use personality traits to describe an individual’s characteristics or their behaviour and to
give an explanation for thinking, feeling and acting within people. However, this is not to say that
traits cause behaviour- it is merely a description. And that some internal needs and drives are
unknown, or seldom expressed until required for measurement.
