PSYB30H3 Chapter 4: Personality4
Document Summary
Chapter 4 - personality traits, situations, and behaviour. Work seeks to base the scientific measurement of individual differences on familiar concepts such a sociability, reliability, dominance, nervousness, and cheerfulness. Trait approach: based on empirical research that mostly uses correlation designs. Personality tests: focuses exclusively on individual differences. The trait approach comes in at the second step: assumes in some real sense people are their traits. Perso(cid:374)ality traits are (cid:374)ot the o(cid:374)ly fa(cid:272)tors that (cid:272)o(cid:374)trol a(cid:374) i(cid:374)di(cid:448)idual"s (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iour: situations matter as well. Perhaps i(cid:374)di(cid:448)iduals" (cid:271)eha(cid:448)iour is so i(cid:374)(cid:272)o(cid:374)siste(cid:374)t a(cid:374)d apt to (cid:272)ha(cid:374)ge a(cid:272)(cid:272)ordi(cid:374)g to the given situation that there is no use characterizing them in terms of broad personality traits. Older persons are themselves more consistent than younger ones. Several studies suggest that the consistency of personality is associated with maturity and general mental health: more consistent people tend to be less neurotic, more controlled, more mature, and more positive in their relationships with others.
