Page 176 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Unit 8: Foundations of Organisational Behaviour

Trait Theories Notes

Some early personality researchers believed that to understand individuals, we must break
down behaviour patterns into a series of observable traits. According to trait theory, combining
these traits into a group forms an individual's personality. A personality trait can be defined as
an "enduring attribute of a person that appears consistently in a variety of situations". In
combination, such traits distinguish one personality from another.

A trait is a personal characteristic that is used to describe and explain personality. It is a list of
relatively stable and consistent personal characteristics. Trait theories are attempts to explain
personality and differences between people in terms of their personal characteristics.
1. Gordon Allport's Personality Traits: Claims that personality traits are real entities,
physically located somewhere in the brain. We each inherit our own unique set of raw
material for given traits, which are then shaped by our experiences. Traits describe the
particular way we respond to the environment and the consistency of that response. If we
are shy, we respond to strangers differently than if we are friendly; if we are self-confident,
we approach tasks differently than if we feel inferior. Recent research in behavioural
genetics supports the notion that the genes influence certain personality characteristics.
Allport identified two main categories of traits:

(a) Common Traits: Common traits are those we share or hold in common with most
others in our own culture.
(b) Individual Traits: According to Allport, there are three individual traits: cardinal,
central and secondary traits.
(i) Cardinal Traits: A cardinal trait is "so pervasive and outstanding in a life that
almost every act seems traceable to its influence". It is so strong a part of a
person's personality that he may become identified with or known for that
trait.
(ii) Central Traits: According to Allport, are those that we would "mention in
writing a careful letter of recommendation".
(iii) Secondary Traits: The secondary traits are less obvious, less consistent and not
as critical in defining our personality as the cardinal and central traits. We
have many more secondary traits than cardinal or central traits. Examples of
secondary traits are food and music preferences.

2. Raymond Cattell's 16 Personality Factors: Raymond Cattell considered personality to be
a pattern of traits providing the key to understanding and predicting a person's behaviour.
Cattell identified two types:
(a) Surface Traits: Observable qualities of a person like honest, helpful, kind, generous
etc., Cattell called these "surface traits".
(b) Source Traits: Make up the most basic personality structure and, according to Cattell,
actually cause behaviour. Even though we all possess the same source traits, we do
not all possess them in the same degree. Intelligence is a source trait, and every
person has a certain amount of it but, obviously not exactly the same amount or the
same kind.
Cattel found 23 source traits in normal individuals, 16 of which he studied in great detail.
Cattell's sixteen-personality factors questionnaire, commonly called the "16 P.F Test",
yields a personality profile. The Cattell personality profile can be used to provide a better
understanding of a single individual or to compare an individual's personality profile
with that of others.

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