| Personality psychology is a branch of
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| | describe human personality. Differences
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| psychology which studies personality and
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| | between Cattell and Eysenck emerged due
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| individual differences. One emphasis in
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| | to preferences for different forms of
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| this area is to construct a coherent
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| | factor analysis, with Cattell using
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| picture of a person and his or her major
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| | oblique, Eysenck orthogonal, rotation to
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| psychological processes. Another emphasis
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| | analyse the factors that emerged when
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| views personality as the study of
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| | personality questionnaires were subjected
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| individual differences, in other words,
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| | to statistical analysis. Today, the Big
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| how people differ from each other. A
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| | Five factors have the weight of a
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| third area of emphasis examines human
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| | considerable amount of empirical research
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| nature and how all people are similar to
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| | behind them. Building on the work of
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| one other. These three viewpoints merge
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| | Cattell and others, Lewis Goldberg
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| together in the study of personality.
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| | proposed a five-dimension personality
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| Personality can be defined as a dynamic
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| | model, nicknamed the "Big Five":
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| and organized set of characteristics
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| | Extraversion - outgoing and
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| possessed by a person that uniquely
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| | stimulation-oriented vs. quiet and
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| influences his or her cognitions,
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| | stimulation-avoiding
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| motivations, and behaviors in various
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| | Neuroticism - emotionally reactive, prone
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| situations (Ryckman, 2004). The word
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| | to negative emotions vs. calm,
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| "personality" originates from the Latin
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| | imperturbable, optimistic
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| persona, which means mask. Significantly,
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| | Agreeableness - affable, friendly,
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| in the theatre of the ancient
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| | conciliatory vs. aggressive, dominant,
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| Latin-speaking world, the mask was not
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| | disagreeable
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| used as a plot device to disguise the
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| | Conscientiousness - dutiful, planful, and
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| identity of a character, but rather was a
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| | orderly vs. laidback, spontaneous, and
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| convention employed to represent or
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| | unreliable
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| typify that character.
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| | Openness to experience - open to new
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| The pioneering American psychologist,
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| | ideas and change vs. traditional and
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| Gordon Allport (1937) described two major
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| | oriented toward routine
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| ways to study personality, the
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| | John L. Holland's RIASEC vocational
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| idiographic and the nomothetic.
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| | model, commonly referred to as the
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| Nomothetic psychology seeks general laws
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| | Holland Codes, stipulates that there are
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| that can be applied to many different
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| | six personality traits that lead people
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| people, such as the principle of
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| | to choose their career paths. This model
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| self-actualization, or the trait of
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| | is widely used in vocational counseling
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| extraversion. Idiographic psychology is
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| | and is a circumplex model where the six
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| an attempt to understand the unique
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| | types are represented as a hexagon where
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| aspects of a particular individual.
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| | adjacent types are more closely related
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| The study of personality has a rich and
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| | than those more distant.
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| varied history in psychology, with an
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| | Trait models have been criticized as
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| abundance of theoretical traditions. Some
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| | being purely descriptive and offering
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| psychologists have taken a highly
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| | little explanation of the underlying
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| scientific approach, whereas others have
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| | causes of personality. Eysenck's theory,
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| focused their attention on theory
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| | however, does propose biological
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| development. There is also a substantial
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| | mechanisms as driving traits, and modern
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| emphasis on the applied field of
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| | behavior genetics researchers have
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| personality testing.
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| | demonstrated a clear genetic substrate to
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| Philosophical assumptions
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| | them. Another potential weakness with
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| Many of the ideas developed by historical
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| | trait theories is that they lead people
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| and modern Personality Theorists stem
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| | to accept oversimplified classifications,
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| from basic philosophical assumptions they
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| | or worse offer advice, based on a
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| hold. Psychology is not a purely
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| | superficial analysis of one's
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| empirical discipline, as it brings in
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| | personality. Finally, trait models often
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| elements of art, science, and philosophy
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| | underestimate the effect of specific
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| to draw general conclusions. The
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| | situations on people's behavior. It is
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| following five categories are some of the
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| | important to remember that traits are
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| most fundamental philosophical
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| | statistical generalizations that do not
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| assumptions where theorists disagree:
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| | always correspond to an individual's
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| Freedom versus Determinism
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| | behavior.
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| The debate over whether we have control
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| | Type theories
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| over our own behavior and understand the
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| | Personality type refers to the
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| motives behind it (Freedom), or if our
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| | psychological classification of different
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| behavior is basically determined by some
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| | types of people. Personality types are
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| other force over which we might not have
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| | distinguished from personality traits,
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| control (Determinism). We may merely
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| | which come in different levels or
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| respond to external forces like
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| | degrees. According to type theories, for
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| government, parents, professors, the
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| | example, there are two types of people,
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| economic system, etc; or we may even be
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| | introverts and extraverts. According to
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| constrained to behave in certain ways by
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| | trait theories, introversion and
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| our genetics, upbringing, etc.
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| | extraversion are part of a continuous
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| Heredity versus Environment
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| | dimension, with many people in the
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| The nature vs. nurture debate. Is
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| | middle. The idea of psychological types
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| personality determined largely by
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| | originated in the theoretical work of
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| genetics and heredity, or by environment
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| | Carl Jung.
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| and experiences? There is evidence for
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| | Building on the writings and observations
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| both sides, and the field of behavior
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| | of Carl Jung, during WWII Isabel Briggs
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| genetics has demonstrated interesting new
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| | Myers and her mother Katharine C. Briggs
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| results in this area, such as the
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| | delineated personality types by
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| importance of unshared environmental
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| | constructing the Myers-Briggs Type
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| effects (such as individual experiences)
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| | Indicator. This model was later
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| over shared environmental effects (such
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| | elaborated further by David Keirsey. It
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| as family and demographics). Furthermore,
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| | is an older, more theoretical approach to
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| twin studies indicate that there is a
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| | personality, accepting Extraversion vs.
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| substantial genetic contribution to most
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| | Introversion as basic and further adding
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| personality traits.
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| | three more dimensions:
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| Uniqueness versus Universality
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| | Extraversion vs. Introversion (see above)
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| The argument over whether we are all
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| unique individuals (Uniqueness) or if
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| | Intuition vs. Sensing (trust in
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| humans are basically similar in their
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| | conceptual/abstract models of reality
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| nature (Universality).
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| | versus concrete sensory-oriented facts)
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| Proactive versus Reactive
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| | Thinking vs. Feeling (thinking as the
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| Do we primarily act through our own
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| | prime-mover in decision-making vs.
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| initiative (Proactive), or do we react to
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| | feelings as the prime-mover in
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| outside stimuli (Reactive)?
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| | decision-making)
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| Optimistic versus Pessimistic
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| | Perceiving vs. Judging (desire to
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| Finally, whether or not we can alter our
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| | perceive events vs. desire to have things
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| personalities (Optimistic) or if they
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| | done so judgements can be made)
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| remain the same throughout our whole
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| | This personality typology has some
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| lives (Pessimistic).
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| | aspects of a trait theory: it explains
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| Personality theories
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| | people's behaviour in terms of opposite
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| There are several theoretical
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| | fixed characteristics. In these more
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| perspectives on personality in
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| | traditional models, the intuition factor
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| psychology, which involve different ideas
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| | is considered the most basic, dividing
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| about the relationship between
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| | people into "N" or "S" personality types.
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| personality and other psychological
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| | An "N" is further assumed to be guided by
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| constructs, as well as different theories
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| | the thinking or objectication habit, or
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| about the way personality develops.
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| | feelings, and be divided into "NT"
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| Critics of personality theory claim that
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| | (scientist, engineer) or "NF" (author,
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| personality is "plastic" across time,
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| | human-oriented leader) personality. An
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| places, moods, and situations. Changes in
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| | "S", by contrast, is assumed to be more
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| personality may indeed result from diet
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| | guided by the perception axis, and thus
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| (or lack thereof), medical effects,
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| | divided into "SP" (performer, craftsman,
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| significant events, or learning. However,
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| | artisan) and "SJ" (guardian, accountant,
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| most personality theories emphasize
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| | bureaucrat) personality. These four are
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| stability over fluctuation.
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| | considered basic, with the other two
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| Trait theories
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| | factors in each case (including always
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| According to the Diagnostic and
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| | extraversion) less important. Critics of
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| Statistical Manual of the American
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| | this traditional view have observed that
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| Psychiatric Association, personality
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| | the types are quite strongly stereotyped
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| traits are "enduring patterns of
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| | by professions, and thus may arise more
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| perceiving, relating to, and thinking
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| | from the need to categorize people for
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| about the environment and oneself that
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| | purposes of guiding their career choice.
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| are exhibited in a wide range of social
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| | This among other objections led to the
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| and personal contexts." Theorists
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| | emergence of the five factor view, which
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| generally assume that a) traits are
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| | is less concerned with behavior under
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| relatively stable over time, b) traits
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| | work stress and more concerned with
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| differ among individuals (e.g. some
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| | behavior in personal and emotional
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| people are outgoing while others are
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| | circumstances. Some critics have argued
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| shy), and c) traits influence behavior.
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| | for more or fewer dimensions while others
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| The most common models of traits
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| | have proposed entirely different theories
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| incorporate three to five broad
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| | (often assuming different definitions of
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| dimensions or factors. The least
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| | "personality").
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| controversial dimension, observed as far
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| | Type A personality: During the 1950s,
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| back as the ancient Greeks, is simply
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| | Meyer Friedman and his co-workers defined
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| extraversion vs. introversion (outgoing
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| | what they called Type A and Type B
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| and physical-stimulation-oriented vs.
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| | behavior patterns. They theorized that
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| quiet and physical-stimulation-averse).
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| | intense, hard-driving Type A
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| Gordon Allport delineated different kinds
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| | personalities had a higher risk of
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| of traits, which he also called
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| | coronary disease because they are "stress
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| dispositions. Central traits are basic to
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| | junkies." Type B people, on the other
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| an individual's personality, while
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| | hand, tended to be relaxed, less
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| secondary traits are more peripheral.
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| | competitive, and lower in risk. There was
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| Common traits are those recognized within
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| | also a Type AB mixed profile. Dr. Redford
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| a culture and thus may vary from culture
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| | Williams, cardiologist at Duke
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| to culture. Cardinal traits are those by
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| | University, refuted Friedman’s
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| which an individual may be strongly
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| | theory that Type A personalities have a
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| recognized.
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| | higher risk of coronary heart disease;
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| Raymond Cattell's research propagated a
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| | however, current research indicates that
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| two-tiered personality structure with
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| | the hostility component of Type A may
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| sixteen "primary factors" (16 Personality
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| | have health implications. Type A/B theory
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| Factors) and five "secondary factors." A
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| | has been extensively criticized by
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| different model was proposed by Hans
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| | psychologists because it tends to
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| Eysenck, who believed that just three
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| | oversimplify the many dimensions of an
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| traits - extraversion, neuroticism and
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| | individual's personality.
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| psychoticism - were sufficient to
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