Trait theories of personality - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 18
About This Presentation
Title:

Trait theories of personality

Description:

Trait theories of personality Personality traits A personality trait is a personality characteristic that endures (lasts) over time and across different situations ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:389
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 19
Provided by: missrohrW
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Trait theories of personality


1
Trait theories of personality
2
Personality traits
  • A personality trait is a personality
    characteristic that endures (lasts) over time and
    across different situations
  • Trait theories of personality focus on measuring,
    identifying and describing individual differences
    in personality in terms of traits
  • Focus is on what is different- not what is the
    same
  • Can be used to predict behaviour based on traits

3
Main assumptions of theories
  • One that personality traits are relatively
    stable and therefore predictable over time
  • Two Personality traits are relatively stable
    across different situations
  • Three trait theories take into account that
    personality consists of a number of different
    traits, and that some people have more or
    less of each trait than others
  • Four some traits are more closely interrelated
    than
  • other traits and tend to occur together

4
  • Personality traits are described on a continuum
    showing either end of the trait
  • I.e. Confidence continuum

5
Jigsaw
  • Allports hierarchy of traits
  • Cattells 16 personality factor model
  • Eysencks PEN model
  • Costa and McCrae Five Factor Model
  • Collect information needed to complete table

6
Strengths and Limitations of trait theories
  • Provide useful descriptions of personality and
    its structure
  • Provided the foundation of valid and reliable
    personality devices
  • Can lead people to accept and use oversimplified
    classifications and descriptions
  • Underestimate socio-cultural influences on
    behaviour

7
Humanistic theories of personality
  • Emerged in 1950s in America
  • Humanistic theories of personality emphasise the
    uniqueness of each individual and the positive
    qualities and potential of all human beings to
    fulfil their lives
  • Based on the assumption that all people are born
    good and that all individuals strive to reach
    their full potential throughout their lives
  • Believe that a healthy personality is the result
    of a person achieving their full potential
  • Also believe that personality is made up of all
    experiences up to any point in time
  • to understand someones personality fully, you
    must try to understand the dilemmas and choices
    they have made in their lives from their
    perspective

8
Carl Rogers
  • American
  • 1902-87
  • believed that all people are born good, with
    considerable potential, and that each person has
    the ability to achieve their full potential as an
    individual if they are able to overcome a series
    of hurdles
  • Rogers emphasised the importance of free will, we
    are all individuals who freely choose to behave
    in whatever way we desire, and we act according
    to that choice

9
Person-centred theory
  • Developed by Rogers based
  • on clinical work with his
  • Clients
  • Believed each person is like
  • The seed of an enormous
  • tree

10
3 Key factors which influence self actualisation
  • Self-actualise reach full potential
  • the way others treat them (that is, whether they
    are accepted or rejected by other people)
  • how they view themself (that is, their
    self-concept)
  • how effectively they can deal with negative
    influences in their life that cause them anxiety
    or conflict

11
Self Concept
  • Self-concept all the perceptions and beliefs an
    individual has about themself including their
    nature, unique qualities and their typical
    behaviour
  • Rogers believed that childhood is a critical time
    for the development of personality and that the
    social relationships a child experiences during
    that time have lasting effects on the development
    of their self concept
  • Our idea of who we are is built up, over time,
    from childhood, through our interactions with
    others and our environment

12
Influence of others in developing our self concept
  • People who are important to us can assist our
    self-actualising in three important ways
  • by being genuine by being honest and open with
    their feelings towards us
  • by being accepting by valuing us for what we
    are, regardless of our shortcomings so that we
    experience unconditional positive regard
  • By encouraging our blossoming by being
    empathetic being able to put themselves in our
    position and fully understand, from our point of
    view, how we feel

13
What makes a well adjusted person?
  • A well-adjusted and happy individual is someone
    whose self-image (the person you think you are),
    ideal self (the person you want to be) and true
    self (the person you actually are) are all
    congruent (match), or are fairly similar

14
(No Transcript)
15
Measuring personality
  • Humanist theorists do not believe you can measure
    or rate personality
  • They do however use a Q-sort test
  • This is used mainly during therapy to examine the
    self-concept, and the extent to which the true
    self and the ideal self match (or are
    mismatched), and to study changes in the clients
    perception of self during the course of treatment
    (Malim Birch, 1998)
  • Used a client-centred approach to therapy

16
Strengths and Limitations
  • Focus on positive dimensions of personality
  • Give a complete picture of how a healthy
    personality develops
  • Humanist theories are often criticised as being
    too simplistic and vague and unable to be tested
    scientifically
  • Focus on self fulfilment (this can be a
    negative!)
  • Unrealistic- do not recognise the capacity of
    people to be evil

17
Task
  • Complete activity 12.21
  • Read pages 539-545
  • Complete activity 12.26

18
References
  • http//theprofitablelife.com/wp-content/themes/the
    sis_151/rotator/growing-tree.jpg
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com