Rationale of Using Traits
We shall begin by studying the smallest unit of behavior share by human beings. The smallest unit of human behavior is a trait that is found in all human personality. We need a tool to identify its characteristic or qualities. The best tool to use is our language since every language is capable of communicating how we behave, feel, think and do.
Language is a communication tool to communicate meanings of things. Every language has its own structure and semantic context. It describes what, when, where and how we ought to do a thing. It describes how we think and feel about things and what we do with them. Despite that, language is not a perfect tool. It can cause a breakdown in communication. Its structure and semantic context can communicate double meanings.
For example: Take my picture could mean getting someone to take a copy of your picture from somewhere or use a camera to take your picture. Hence using words or adjectival descriptors to describe personality may have its flaws. A more accurate method of describing personality is to incorporate the structure and the semantic contexts of a specific situation.
Bernard asserts that before a language tool is used to dissect the parts of human behavior, let us understand the components and parts that make a language.
Every language has a structure. The structure is made up of a string of words forming phrase, clause and sentence regulated by grammatical rules. Every structure has its semantic content. The semantic content is found in the meanings of the strings of words. A word is made up of one or more morpheme. A morpheme is defined as the smallest unit of meaning standing by itself. A word contains one or more morphemes. Root word, prefix and suffix contain one morpheme. When a prefix or/and a suffix is attached to a root word it would consists of two or more morpheme, For example; organize is a root word, dis+organize consists of two morphemes meaning not organize; dis+organiz (e)+(a)tion is made up of 3 units of morphemes meaning the state of being not organize. A context is made up of a string of sentences conveying meanings. Bernard believes that describing behavior is best understood in analyzing and interpreting the meanings or semantics within the context of its structure.
Trait Psychologists
Cattell’s (1965) 3 of personality types.
- Cognitive or ability traits, e.g., intelligence;
- Temperament or stylistic traits, e.g., easygoing, bold
- Dynamic or motivational traits (includes interests), e.g. ambitious, power- hungry, or sports loving.
Fiske (1949) used 22 of Cattell’s (1947) bipolar trait descriptors and came out with 5 clusters.
- Social adaptability: Cheerful, talkative, adventurous, and adaptable.
- Emotional control: Unshakable, self-sufficient, placid, lack of anxiety, lack of insecurity.
- Conformity: Cooperativeness, seriousness, trustfulness, good-natured,
- The inquiring intellect: Broad interests, independent minded, imaginative.
- Confident self-expression: Assertive, talkative, marked interest in women.
Tupes and Christal – 4 trait clusters
- Talkativeness, frankness, adventurousness, assertiveness, etc.
- emotionally mature, cooperative, trustful, kindly, etc.
- Orderliness, responsibility, perseverance, conventionality.
- Emotional stability. No neurotic, placid, poised, not hypochondriacal, self-sufficient, not dependent.
The 5 Factor Model (The Big 5) came out with 5 clusters:
- Extroversion
- Emotional Stability
- Conscientiousness
- Agreeableness
- Open to Experiences
The above shows how behavioral psychologists organize traits into clusters or dimensions into some meaningful composition into personality types. They classify personality into different types using bipolar traits and adjectival descriptors. This approach assumes that everybody behavior is predictable. There is no difference in studying simple and complex people. You only need to describe them. You do not need to explain how they behave and why they behave that way. Their approach is entirely nomothetic not idiographic. Moreover, the adjectival descriptors are not evaluative. It does not differentiate good traits and bad ones. Its classification into personality types does not differentiates the perception of an individual and others perception of him/her. How an individual sees oneself is different from how others see the individual. How are we going to resolve this perception gap. Besides adjectival descriptor has its limitation. Words like agreeableness, openness to experience, conscientiousness may not cover all aspect of the traits classify under this category.
A comprehensive trait theory should be able to explain the above pitfalls.
Types of trait
Bernard began by studying the qualities of a trait. He breaks the qualities of a trait into the following types.
Types of trait and its characteristic
- Genetic Trait Vs Learned Trait
Genetic is inherited from the genes of our family tree. According to research about 10-20% of our traits are inherited while more than 80% of them are learned. All genetic traits are dominant.
A learned trait is developed from the process of learning and growing from the environmental forces in seeking pleasures and avoiding pains in situations where growth and survival is at stake.
- Dominant trait Vs Weak Trait – To identify the relative strength of a trait
A dominant trait has persistent and enduring characteristic that is strong and overpowering. It is learnt repeatedly and across situations where a discharge of high level of psychic energy is discharged from the consciousness. All genetic traits are dominant.
A weak trait is rarely manifested and is learnt in situations where a low level of psychic energy is discharged. A trait is weak when learning take place in association with specific situation.
Positive trait, Negative trait and Neutral Trait – To identify strengths and shortcomings of a personality and to differentiate good and bad personality
A trait is deemed positive when its manifestation helps to improve or does good to a situation and gives pleasures to others
A trait is negative when its manifestation causes damage to a situation and give pains to others
A neutral trait neither causes good or harm to a situation when it is manifested
Altruistic Trait Vs Situational Trait – to identify and predict simple and complex personality
A trait is altruistic when it has the quality of a characteristic that is stable or static over time and across situations. For example, one of the altruistic trait of Mother Theresa’s is caring. Her caring quality is probably inherited and learned from a caring family and others. As a result of caring across situations and time, she learned the joys and pains of changing others’ life. Despite the pains she has gone through, her caring trait is not affected.
A situational trait is dynamic as its manifestation varies from time to time and from place to place. For example, an individual may be friendly with his bosses but distance himself from his subordinates.
Classifying people into personality type is a tricky business. You administer a psychological instrument and get the person fill up the questionnaires. You come out with all types of measures to interpret their responses and then classify them into personality types. Yet it has its flaws as the person may be blind to certain aspects of one’s behavior. Alternatively you get someone who knows the individual intimately to fill up the instrument. The classification also has its shortcomings as its accuracy depends on how well that someone knows the individual. A better approach is to combine the two and look for the common indicators to interpret personality types.