Objective Assessment of Personality IIPertemuan 2

Matakuliah : Psikologi DiagnostikTahun : 2010

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Trait Theory of Personality

• A trait is any readily-identifiable, stable quality that characterizes an individual from other individuals

• Traits serve three major functions:– To summarize, predict, and explain a person’s

conduct

• A predisposition to respond in a particular way to a broad range of situations

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Basic Assumptions• Traits present specific ideas about a person’s

disposition (the way a person is likely to behave across situations as well as over time)

• Individuals can be characterized in terms of relatively enduring patterns of thoughts, feelings, and actions

• Traits can be quantitatively assessed• Traits show some degree of cross situational

consistency

Theorists• Gordon Allport • Raymond B. Cattell • Hans J. Eyesnck *• Paul T. Costa & Robert R. McCrae *

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Hans J. Eysenck• Focused on higher levels of trait organization called types• Types incorporate lower-level elements (traits); Each trait

incorporates even lower-order qualities (habits)• Eysenck argues that all personality traits can be grouped

under three dimensions: – Extraversion characterizes people based on their

orientation toward external sources of stimulations from the environment versus an orientation inward at the opposite extreme.

– Psychotism includes a disposition toward psychosis and a degree of sociopathy.

– Neuroticism is basically a measure of emotional stability-instability.

• Eysenck Personality Scales : EPQ-R and EPP

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R)

• Contains 100 items to measure the three personality dimensions of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism, as well as the lie scale.

• A dichotomous response format “Yes” or “No.”• Examples of items are:

– Extraversion “Do you like telling jokes and funny stories to your friends?” (positively scored item). “Do you prefer reading to meeting people?” (negatively scored item).

– Neuroticism “Are you a worrier?” (positively scored item).– Psychoticism “Do you enjoy hurting people you love?” (positivelyscored item).

Would it upset you a lot to see a child or an animal suffer? (negatively scored item).

– Social Desirability (L) “Are you always willing to admit when you have made a mistake?” (positively scored item). “Have you ever cheated at a game?” (negatively scored item).

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Eysenck Personality Profiler (EPP) • Like the EPQ-R, the EPP measures the three main personality

dimensions of E, N, and P and has a lie scale • EPP uses facet scales to measure each of the main

dimensions. The three main dimensions and their facets are (with three-letter abbreviations in parentheses):– Extraversion: Activity (ACT), Sociability (SOC), Assertiveness

(ASS), Expressiveness (EXP), Ambition (AMB), Dogmatism (DOG), Aggressiveness (AGG).

– Neuroticism: Inferiority (INF), Unhappiness (UNH), Anxiety (ANX), Dependence (DEP), Hypochondria (HYP), Guilt (GUI), Obsessiveness (OBS).

– Psychoticism: Risk-Taking (RIS), Impulsivity (IMP), Irresponsibility (IRR), Manipulativeness (MAN), SensationSeeking (SEN), Tough-Mindedness (TOU), Practicality (PRA).

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The Big Five Personality Traits

• Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness

• The study of language– Clusters of associated words used to describe

personality characteristics

• The study of personality questionnaires and ratings– Factors indicated on surveys– Five Factor Model (FFM)

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Differences Between the Big Five and the Five Factor Model

• Five Factor Model is an interpretation of Big Five Factors– FFM asserts that we can describe personality in terms

of five broad categories, each of which includes specific attributes

– Suggests differences among people in these dimensions are• Stable• Genetic • Due to internal mechanism

• Applications of the Big Five and The Five Factor Model and Theory: Job performance, job satisfaction, personality disorders, determines types of therapy

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The Five Factor Model : Measure

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

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