Trait Approaches to Personality

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL & APPLICATIONS AND EVALUATION OF TRAIT

APPROACHES TO PERSONALITY

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL• Taxonomies guide research and facilitate the

communication of research findings• Personality psychology can benefit from an

agreed-upon taxonomy of traits• Many psychologists believe that individual

differences can be organized in terms of five dimensions – the five-factor model or BIG 5

• Like the models of Cattell and Eysenck, the factor-analytic approach to traits underlies the five-factor model

• The five-factor model is supported by evidence showing that five factors are necessary and sufficient for a taxonomy of individual differences

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL: EVIDENCE

Evidence for the five-factor model rests on factor analyses of 3 types of data

1. Trait terms found in language2. Cross-cultural research3. The correlation of trait questionnaires

with other questionnaires and ratings


ANALYSIS OF TRAIT TERMS IN LANGUAGE• Research procedure (lexical approach)

– Individuals rate themselves or others on many different trait-terms sampled from the dictionary

– Ratings are then factor-analyzed to discover how many factors are needed to account for the resulting patterns of correlations


ANALYSIS OF TRAIT TERMS IN LANGUAGE• Norman (1963) showed that

– Five-factors were repeatedly found using different measures and samples

– Five factors possess reliability and validity (e.g., are relatively stable throughout adulthood and reflected in various indices of functioning)

• OCEAN of traits Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion,

Agreeableness, Neuroticism


IS THE BIG FIVE UNIVERSAL?• Hofstede et al. (1997) identified 126 trait words

that they could translate fairly directly across English, Dutch, and German– Compared the meanings of the five factors across

three languages– Found agreement except on all but Openness– German and English were very similar; the Dutch

factor of Openness included expected subtraits related to fantasy and ideas, but also emphasized subtraits related to rebelliousness


IS THE BIG FIVE UNIVERSAL?• Translation may impose structural problems• Di Blasi & Forzi (1999) explored the structure of

traits by selecting trait words from the Italian language– Asked participants to rate themselves on these

words and used factor analysis to determine whether the BIG 5 would replicate in Italian

– Found a three-factor solution fit the data better: extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness

– Neuroticism and openness were not identified as traits in Italian


IS THE BIG FIVE UNIVERSAL?• Unique personality traits may exist in certain

cultures (e.g., “Chinese tradition” factor)• In some cultures, people do not think of others

using trait words• Work in cultural psychology suggests that in

Asian cultures people are more attuned to an individual’s social embeddedness (e.g., relationship position, community status) than to a person’s traits

• Multiple data sets from diverse nations suggest the presence of a sixth factor - honesty or honesty/humility

• Findings across seven languages show consistent individual differences in the tendency to be truthful and sincere versus cunning and disloyal

• The six-factor model has not been incorporated into theory or applied research

THE SIX-FACTOR MODEL: MAYBE WE MISSED ONE

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL: MEASURES

The NEO Personality Inventory - Revised (NEO PI-R)

• Measures five broad domains (factors) and 30 narrower facets (6 subtraits comprise each of the BIG 5 domains)

• Each facet is measured by 8 items • Scales have good reliability and validity

across different data sources (e.g., ratings by peers or spouses)

• NEO-PI-R correlated with other BIG 5 measures

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL: MEASURESINTEGRATION OF THE BIG 5 WITH CATETELL AND EYSENCK•Scores on the NEO-PI-R correlate with Cattell’s 16 PF and Eysenck’s EPI

– Cattell’s Stability-Emotionality and Eysenck’s N are virtually identical to the BIG 5 domain of Neuroticism

– Cattell’s Reserved-Outgoing and Eysenck’s I-E are virtually identical to the BIG 5 domain of Extraversion

– Cattell’s Tough-minded –Tender-minded is similar to the BIG 5 domain of Agreeableness

– Eysenck’s P corresponds to a combination of low Agreeableness and low Conscientiousness

•Correlations permit the synthesis of earlier models within the BIG 5 – a single, unified theory!

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL: BIOLOGICAL BASIS

The BIG 5 are more than descriptions of individual differences•Each factor is a universal psychological structure that everyone has in varying amounts and which influences psychological development

• BIG 5 factors have a biological basis• Differences on BIG 5 factors are determined by

genetic influences on neural structures and brain chemistry

• BIG 5 factors are not influenced by the environment; extreme “nature” position (intrinsic maturation)

THE FIVE-FACTOR MODEL: GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

CHANGE ACROSS THE LIFESPAN• Research strategy - study people over a

long period and administer the same personality measures at different points– Stability over time (i.e., high correlations

between scores on personality measures administered at different times)

– In spite of stability, change is found


Younger AdultsTRAIT

Older AdultsHigher Openness Lower

Lower Conscientiousness Higher

Higher Extraversion Lower

Lower Agreeableness Higher

Higher Neuroticism Lower

CHANGE ACROSS THE LIFESPAN• McCrae & Costa studied age differences

in Conscientiousness across five cultures– Found an increase with age in each

culture, although cultures varied in political, economic, and religious conditions

– Changes in domain level reflect intrinsic maturation, just like other biological systems


CHANGE ACROSS THE LIFESPAN• Srivastava et al. (2003) conducted an Internet

survey of a adults who completed a five-factor measure

• Results revealed significant age-linked changes on most of BIG 5 factors (e.g., Agreeableness increased from 31-50 years when adults raise children)

• These findings contradict the claim that trait levels are entirely inherited and unaffected by social experience


CHANGE ACROSS THE LIFESPAN• Overall, research suggests that

– Personality is more stable over short periods than over long periods

– Personality is more stable and less complex in adulthood than in childhood

– There are individual differences in stability across the lifespan

– The limits of environmental influence on personality change remain to be determined


HEALTH•Adults who are conscientious as children live longer and are about 30% less likely to die in any given year, even when ruling out environmental variables•What explains the relationship?•Conscientious individuals take fewer risks and are less likely to smoke and drink heavily

THE FACTOR MODEL: APPLICATIONS

CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS• The five-factor model is a useful

diagnostic tool • Compulsive personality can be viewed

in terms of very high Conscientiousness and very high Neuroticism

• Antisocial personality can be seen as very low Agreeableness and very low Conscientiousness

THE FACTOR MODEL: APPLICATIONS

THE PERSON-SITUATION CONTROVERSY

• Since the 1960s, researchers have questioned whether there is enough consistency in behavior to support trait concepts

• Variability may reflect an adaptive capacity to discriminate between situations and adjust behavior accordingly


• 2 aspects of consistency must be distinguished:1. Longitudinal stability = people high on a trait

at one point in time are high on that same trait at another point in time

2. Cross-situational consistency = people high on a trait in some situations are high on that trait in other situations

• Trait theorists suggest both are true• Critics of trait theory disagree with cross-

situational stability


LONGITUDINAL STABILITY• Why do traits have longitudinal stability?

– Genetically based biological tendencies may ensure the durability of traits

– Environmental conditions may also contribute to the stability of traits• Others interact with he person in ways that

perpetuate traits and trait stereotypes• People select and create environments that

serve to strengthen their traits


CROSS-SITUATIONAL STABILITY• A defining feature of trait theory is that

individuals are characterized by the degree to which they possess a given trait on average

• There may be variability around the average

• Methods exist for describing variations around the average


CROSS-SITUATIONAL STABILITY• Fleeson et al. had participants record their current

thoughts and feelings several times daily over several days– Rather than reporting overall level of a trait,

participants reported how much they exhibited a trait-related behavior during the past hour

– This method can be used to determine average levels of behavior as well as the degree to which behavior varies around the average

– The results revealed that• People show dramatic short-term variability in

behavior not accounted for by trait measures

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Trait Approaches to Personality