Short chapter-opening cases followed by basic facts, key developments related to the chapter's theme, and related theoretical approaches help students understand key content. Insightful coverage on how the various approaches work together shows students how theories can be applied in a range of contexts. Discussion of empirical studies outside the Western cultural tradition and across a wide range of countries contributes to students’ understanding of cross-cultural influences. A separate chapter on gender discusses traditional and evolving views of sex, gender, and sexual orientation. An entire chapter on the clinical domain covers mental health, personality disorders, treatments, and applications relevant to students. Check and Apply Your Knowledge boxes include critical thinking questions that ask students to apply relevant theories to their everyday experiences. Self-reflection boxes ask students to think critically about their own lives, activities, accomplishments, and setbacks–all in the context of chapter content. Chapter-ending Visual Reviews help students understand each chapter’s key concepts.

The Trait Tradition

Chapter 7 the trait tradition

“I was always an unusual girl. My mother told me I had a chameleon soul, no moral compass pointing due north, no fixed personality; just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean.”

—Lana Del Rey (b. 1985), American singer and songwriter

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

  • Identify the main principles and historical contexts of the trait tradition
  • Discuss Allport’s four columns, Cattell’s 16PF, and Eysenck’s E and N
  • Explain the Big Five approach to personality
  • Discuss personality from religious and cross-cultural perspectives
  • Identify ways to apply the key principles of the trait tradition to individual experience and behavior

Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, are fictional characters in Robert ...

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