PSYCO333 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Trait Theory, Nomothetic, Umber

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCO333
• Professor: Jamin Blatter

Document Summary

The trait approach to personality exemplifies 2 points in ch 1 about concept of personality: people are consistent in their actions, thoughts, and feelings over time and situations. Past: people can be divided into 4 types/cateogories: (from excess of body fluid: choleric irritable, melancholic depressed, sanguine optimistic, phlegmatic calm. Introvert tends to prefer solitary activities: face stress tend to withdraw into themselves. Extravert prefers to spend time with others: face stress tend to seek out other people. Typology the types are seen as distinct and discontinuous categories. Vs trait theories assume that people occupy diff points on contiously varying dimensions. For trait theory: differences among people are seen as quantitative > qualitative: seen as differing in how much variuous char are incorporated in their personalities. Early type theory assume discontinuity b/w or among categories of people. Trait theory continuous dimensions of variability on some char: and that degree of presence vs absence of char is distributed across a population.