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Summary PYC4805 Exam answers: Question 17
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PYC4805 Exam and Assignments notes. Adult development
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Question 14: Chapter 9“One of the oldest debates in psychology concerns whether
personality development continues across the life span”
(Cavanaugh & Blanchard-Fields, 2019, p. 244) (2015, p.
246).
Enter this debate by a critical discussion of the views of
theorists advocating personality consistency in terms of
certain dispositional traits and those who accentuate
personality changes, with special reference to personality
stability versus change during adulthood. (20)
9.1: Dispositional Traits across Adulthood
People’s characteristic behaviours can be understood through attributes that reflect
underlying dispositional traits that are relatively enduring aspects of personality.
We use the basic tenets of trait theory when we describe ourselves and others with such
terms as calm, aggressive, independent, friendly, and so on.
Three assumptions are made about traits.
1. First, traits are based on comparisons of individuals, because there are no absolute
quantitative standards for concepts such as friendliness.
2. Second, the qualities or behaviors making up a particular trait must be distinctive
enough to avoid confusion. Imagine the chaos if friendliness and aggressiveness had
many behaviors in common and others were vastly different!
3. Finally, the traits attributed to a specific person are assumed to be stable
characteristics.
We normally assume people who are friendly in several situations are going to be friendly
the next time we see them.
These three assumptions are all captured in the classic definition of a trait: “ A trait is any
distinguishable, relatively enduring way that one individual differs from others ”.
Based on this definition, trait theories assume little change in personality occurs across
adulthood.
Most trait theories have several common guiding principles.
An important one for this discussion concerns the structure of traits.
Like it does for intelligence, structure concerns the way traits are organized within the
individual.
This organization is usually inferred from the pattern of related and unrelated personality
characteristics, and is generally expressed in terms of dimensions.
Personality structures can be examined over time to see whether they change with age.
*The case for Stability: The Five-Factor Model
The five-factor model consists of five independent dimensions of personality:
neuroticism,
extraversion,
, openness to experience,
agreeableness,
and conscientiousness.
The first three dimensions of Costa and McCrae’s model—neuroticism, extraversion, and
openness to experience—have been the ones most heavily researched.
Each of these dimensions is represented by six facets reflecting the main characteristics
associated with it.
Openness to Experience The six facets of openness to
experience represent six different
areas.
In the area of fantasy, openness means
having a vivid imagination and active
dream life.
In aesthetics, openness is seen in the
appreciation of art and beauty,
sensitivity to pure experience for its
own sake.
Conscientiousness Scoring high on conscientiousness
indicates one is hardworking,
ambitious, energetic, scrupulous, and
persevering.
Such people have a strong desire to
make something of themselves.
People at the opposite end of this scale
tend to be negligent, lazy, disorganized,
late, aimless, and not persistent.
Extraversion The six facets of extraversion can be
grouped into three interpersonal traits
(warmth, gregariousness, and
assertiveness) and three
temperamental traits (activity,
excitement seeking, and positive
emotions).
Warmth, or attachment, is a friendly,
compassionate, intimately involved
style of interacting with other people.
Warmth and gregariousness (a desire
to be with other people) make up what
is sometimes called sociability.
Gregarious people thrive on crowds;
the more social interaction the better.
Assertive people make natural leaders,
take charge easily, make up their own
minds, and readily express their
thoughts and feelings.
Temperamentally, extraverts like to
keep busy; they are the people who
seem to have endless energy, talk fast,
and want to be on the go.
An interesting aspect of extraversion is
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