PYC 4805 – Developmental
Psychology
Chapter 09–
Personality
, 1. Dispositional Traits Across Adulthood:
• People’s characteristic behaviors can be understood through attributes that reflect
underlying dispositional traits that are relatively enduring aspects of personality.
• 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.
3) Finally, the traits attributed to a specific person are assumed to be stable
characteristics.
• 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.
• Personality structures can be examined overtime to see whether they change with age.
2. The Case for Stability: The Five-
Factor Model:
• Although many trait theories of personality have been proposed over the years, feeling
concerned with or have been based on adults of different ages.
- A major exception to this is the five-factor model proposed by Costa & McCrae.
- Their model is strongly grounded in cross sectional, longitudinal, and sequential research.
• 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 & McCrae’s model -neuroticism, extraversion, and
openness to experience - have been the ones most heavily researched.
- Each of these dimensions is represented by 6 facets reflecting the main characteristics
associated with it.
• The remaining two dimensions were added to the original three in the late 1980s to account
for more data and to bring the theory closer to other trait theories.
2.1. Neuroticism:
• The six facets of neuroticism are anxiety, hostility, self-consciousness, depression,
impulsiveness, and vulnerability.
Psychology
Chapter 09–
Personality
, 1. Dispositional Traits Across Adulthood:
• People’s characteristic behaviors can be understood through attributes that reflect
underlying dispositional traits that are relatively enduring aspects of personality.
• 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.
3) Finally, the traits attributed to a specific person are assumed to be stable
characteristics.
• 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.
• Personality structures can be examined overtime to see whether they change with age.
2. The Case for Stability: The Five-
Factor Model:
• Although many trait theories of personality have been proposed over the years, feeling
concerned with or have been based on adults of different ages.
- A major exception to this is the five-factor model proposed by Costa & McCrae.
- Their model is strongly grounded in cross sectional, longitudinal, and sequential research.
• 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 & McCrae’s model -neuroticism, extraversion, and
openness to experience - have been the ones most heavily researched.
- Each of these dimensions is represented by 6 facets reflecting the main characteristics
associated with it.
• The remaining two dimensions were added to the original three in the late 1980s to account
for more data and to bring the theory closer to other trait theories.
2.1. Neuroticism:
• The six facets of neuroticism are anxiety, hostility, self-consciousness, depression,
impulsiveness, and vulnerability.
