Allport’s trait theory of personality

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1. Allport’s Trait theory of Personality M.Ed

2. Meaning of Trait The adjectives and characteristics of one behavior is known as TRAIT, these traits are helpful in describing one’s personality and also distinguish a man’s personality from other’s personality. Traits represent attributes and properties of human personality like : colour,height,health etc. Traits of one’s personality can be know by observation method. We must be able to understand the trait demonstrated by individual and situations in which it is being demonstrated.

3. GORDON W.ALLPORT (November 11, 1897 – October 9, 1967)  , Indiana Gordon W. Allport was a longtime and influential member of the faculty at Harvard University  from 1930 to 1967. In 1931, he served on the faculty committee that established Harvard's Sociology Department .   He received the APA's Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award. Gordon Allport died on October 9, 1967 in Cambridge, Massachusetts of lung cancer. He was seventy years old .

4. Allport’s theory American psychologist GORDON ALLPORT ,was one of the first psychologists o focus on the study of personality traits. He focused on the uniqueness of each individual and importance of the present context and opposed to past history. He developed a list of 4500 trait like words.

5. Common and Individual traits COMMON TRAITS : Characteristics which are more general than habits and attitudes in respect to which people in a population can be profitably compared. INDIVIDUAL TRAITS : these are behavioural characteristics that are not found in all persons and may not even exist in more than specific individual.

6. Allport ‘s trait levels

7. Cardinal Trait The trait that dominates and shapes a person’s behavior that they coloue every aspect of one’s behavior. These are also called primary traits. These are limited in number to just one or two. For e.g : if a person is humorous in nature. ABRAHAM LINCOLN ( honest ),MOTHER TERESA ( religious service )

8. Central Traits This is general characteristic found in some degree in every person. These are the basic building blocks that shape most of our behavior . FIVE TO TEN central traits in an individual’s personality For e.g. : honesty, kindness etc.

9. Secondary Trait These are characteristics seen only in certain circumstances .They must be included to provide a complete picture of human complexity. These are not considered enough and not dominant characteristics Preferences, attitudes, situational traits are all secondary traits. For e.g. : stage fear before speaking at public

10. Refrences Singh, Agyajit (2012) Development of the learner and teaching learning process.21 st century publications, Patiala, Punjab Mangal.S.K.(2002) Advanced Educational psychology ,PHI Learning pvt.ltd. New Delhi. Nicholson, I. (1997). To "correlate psychology and social ethics": Gordon Allport and the first course in American personality psychology.  Journal of Personality, 65,  733-742

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