 in psychology, trait theory (also called dispositional theory) is an approach to the study of human personality. trait theorists are primarily interested in the measurement of traits, which can be defined as habitual patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion.saul kassin, (2003). psychology. usa: prentice-hall, inc. according to this perspective, traits are relatively stable over time, differ across individuals (e.g. some people are outgoing whereas others are shy), and influence behavior. traits are in contrast to states which are more transitory dispositions. gordon allport was an early pioneer in the study of traits, which he sometimes referred to as dispositions. in his approach, central traits are basic to an individual's personality, whereas secondary traits are more peripheral. common traits are those recognized within a culture and may vary between cultures. cardinal traits are those by which an individual may be strongly recognized. since allport's time, trait theorists have focused more on group statistics than on single individuals. allport called these two emphases "nomothetic" and "idiographic," respectively. there are nearly unlimited number of potential traits that could be used to describe personality. the statistical technique of factor analysis, however, has demonstrated that particular clusters of traits reliably correlate together. hans eysenck has suggested that personality is reducible to three major traits: neuroticism, extroversion, and psychoticism . hans eysenck, (1967). the biological basis of personality. springfield, il: thomas. hans eysenck, (1991). dimensions of personality: 16: 5 or 3? criteria for a taxonomic paradigm. personality and individual differences, 12, 773â790. other researchers argue that more factors are needed to adequately describe human personality including humor, wealth and beauty. saucier, g., & goldberg, l. r. (1998). what is beyond the big five? journal of personality, 66, 495â524. many psychologists currently believe that five factors are sufficient. mccrae, r. r., & costa, p. c., jr. (1987). validation of the five-factor model across instruments and observers. journal of personality and social psychology, 52, 81â90. costa, p. t., & mccrae, r. r. (1992). four ways five factors are basic. personality and individual differences, 13, 653â665. these "big five" personality traits are neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. these are actually continuums and each factor will also vary by intensity. virtually all trait models, and even ancient greek philosophy, include extraversion vs. introversion as a central dimension of human personality. another prominent trait that is found in nearly all models is neuroticism, or emotional instability.
Personality_theories Personality_traits