ATS2400 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Nomothetic, Factor Analysis
17 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Week 9
Traits & Factors
A new approach
•Moving away from rationally-derived personality theory (such as the psychodynamic
theories)!
- theory derived from clinical experience!
•Moving away from theories of ‘personality gone wrong’ and ‘best of the best’!
- healthy-unhealthy dichotomy!
- identifying personality problems and their causes!
•Moving toward empirically derived theories of ‘normal personality!
•A good personality theory should allow us to make pretty good prediction about what a
person will do in a given situation!
- rather than explain behaviour after the fact!
•This new approach is not about changing personality but understanding personality and
applying this understanding to various domains of life:!
- relationships!
- the workforce & workplace!
Factor Analysis
•A statistical method for reducing a large amount of data to fewer, basic units!
- the basic units are more informative than lots of loos data!
•Idiographic level !
- observations !
- self-reports!
- life records!
- test scores!
•Nomothetic level!
- large amount of data from large groups of people
Russell’s (2018) hypothesised factors
-Spontaneity
-Even-temperedness
-Resourcefulness
-Scepticism
Document Summary
A new approach: moving away from rationally-derived personality theory (such as the psychodynamic theories) Theory derived from clinical experience: moving away from theories of personality gone wrong" and best of the best". Identifying personality problems and their causes: moving toward empirically derived theories of normal personality, a good personality theory should allow us to make pretty good prediction about what a person will do in a given situation. Rather than explain behaviour after the fact: this new approach is not about changing personality but understanding personality and applying this understanding to various domains of life: Factor analysis: a statistical method for reducing a large amount of data to fewer, basic units. The basic units are more informative than lots of loos data: idiographic level. Large amount of data from large groups of people. Raymond cattel 1905-1998: worked with psychological statisticians, to determine the structure of personality via statistical methods. Personality traits: relatively permanent reaction tendencies, common traits.
