PSYC 3300 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Nomothetic, Gordon Allport, Depth Psychology
30 Mar 2016
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Previous theories have used the word type to describe stable distinctions (one is a slob or not a slob) There are problems with typologies (even giraffes have highly specific dots): individuals each fit in one type only, everyone in a given type is alike, people in one type is unlike people in another type. In actuality, there are degrees of specific traits. Traits drive behavior and make them consistent (lions eat meat because they are wired to). The trait theory suggests that people can change, but they typically do not. Most traits operate in accordance to normal distribution frequency charts. More concerned with pockets of people (group that scores high on loneliness) Less emphasis on mechanisms that underlie behavior. The key contribution is questionnaires, which provide numerical data. Psychoanalytic approach says one must be analyzed by a therapist who has been analyzed. Source of behaviour is irrational, instinctive, and unconscious.
