11 | 1 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Personality Traits, Genetic and Evolutionary Developments

11 | 2 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Raymond Cattell ( ) Born in Staffordshire, England Received B.S.C. from University of London in 1924, Ph.D. in 1929 Worked at several universities including Columbia University, Clark University, Harvard, University of Illinois, and University of Hawaii and Forrest Institute of Professional Psychology

11 | 3 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Cattell’s Definition of Personality Personality = that which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given situation Surface traits versus source traits –Surface traits = clusters of overt behavior responses that appear to go together –Source traits = underlying variable that determine surface manifestations Assessment and Research in Cattell’s theory –Factor analysis = correlational technique used to identify traits

11 | 4 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Cattell's Sixteen Basic Source Traits

11 | 5 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Cattell's Sixteen Basic Source Traits (continued)

11 | 6 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. The Big Five Personality Traits Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness The study of language –Clusters of associated words used to describe personality characteristics The study of personality questionnaires and ratings –Factors indicated on surveys –Five Factor Model (FFM)

11 | 7 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Facets Encompassed Within the Big Five Factors

11 | 8 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Differences Between the Big Five and the Five Factor Model Five Factor Model is an interpretation of Big Five Factors –FFM asserts that we can describe personality in terms of five broad categories, each of which includes specific attributes –Suggests differences among people in these dimensions are Stable Genetic Due to internal mechanism

11 | 9 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Five-Factor Theory Personality System Adapted from McCrae, R.R & Costa, P.T., Toward a new generation of personality theories: Theoretical contexts for the Five-Factor Model. In J.S. Wiggins (Ed) The Five- Factor Model of personality: Theoretical perspectives. New York: Guilford,

11 | 10 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Applications of the Big Five and The Five Factor Model and Theory Job performance Job satisfaction Personality disorders Determine types of therapy

11 | 11 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Thinking Critically How abnormal is abnormal? –Do personality disorders and psychopathology represent qualitative or quantitative difference in normality? Allport believed that disorders represent a radical discontinuity from normal (qualitatively different) Five factor model suggests disorders are quantitatively different than normal (rather than qualitatively different) What do you think? Are people with personality disorders qualitatively or quantitatively different from normal people? What impact does your answer have on our beliefs and feelings concerning what separates you from individuals who warrant clinical diagnosis?

11 | 12 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Related Developments: Behavioral Genetics and Evolution The genetic influence on traits –Behavioral genetics examines cause of individual differences in human behavior in terms of heredity –Twin studies –Heritability is degree to which a trait or characteristic is caused by the genotype rather than the environment

11 | 13 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Genetic Influence on the Big Five Adapted From Lang, K.L., &Livesly, W.J. [1996]. Heritability of the big five personality dimensions and their facets: A twin study. Journal of Psychology, 64,

11 | 14 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Applications of Genetic Research Quantitative Trait Loci Human genome project Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders

11 | 15 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Thinking Critically Using a genogram to chart personality traits in your family tree –Many traits seem to run in families –You can chart personality traits in your family tree by drawing a genogram Start by interviewing relatives asking what traits have appeared throughout the generations and how the traits may have varied in specific appearance Create the chart by drawing a symbol to represent yourself and other individuals (see Figure 11.3) Do such activities help you to answer the question of whether genes have an impact on our personalities?

11 | 16 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Evolutionary Personality Theory A way of thinking about human behavior based on data drawn from biology, anthropology, sociology, cognitive psychology, and the neurosciences Specific behavior patterns of today are patterns that survived in our ancestors because they were more successful than other behaviors Big Five traits represent strategic differences summarizing important features of the social landscape

11 | 17 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Sample Genogram

11 | 18 Copyright © Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. Philosophy, Science, and Art: Factor Analytic Trait Theories Based on highly objective and precise scientific techniques Reflects current emphasis on quantitative methods and empirical data Beyondism Interest behavioral genetics and evolutionary psychology provide shift from focus on environmental forces