PSY-1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 30: Gordon Allport, Neuroticism, Longitudinal Study
Document Summary
Traits: a person"s predominant thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Gordon allport relied on data reduction. The big five: extraversion: having an energetic approach toward the world, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience. Related to outcomes such as career success, criminal activity, health, and mortality. Trait perspective describes personality, doesn"t explain it; doesn"t mention motivation. Longitudinal studies where people fill out personality inventories every couple years. Conscientiousness rises across life; increases most during 20s. Agreeableness rises; increases most during 30s and continues to increase through 60s. Emotional instability, extroversion, and openness wane a little in early and middle adulthood. Power of the situation: people often behave less consistently than expected. Traits may be enduring, but the resulting behavior in various situations is different. Therefore, traits are not good predictors of behavior. Personality traits are better revealed in weak situations . Strong situations have rigid guidelines of how people should behave. Overwhelming evidence that nearly all personality traits have a genetic component.
