1. Gordon Allport
By Evan Bush

2. Biography
Allport was born in Montezuma, India in His father was a doctor and his mother was a school teacher. They taught him the importance of hard work.
Upon graduation from high school, Allport attended Harvard College on a scholarship where he would earn a degree in Philosophy and Economics and eventually a Ph. D. in Psychology.

3. Professional Career

4. Allport and Freud
In 1922, Allport traveled to Vienna to meet Sigmund Freud. During their meeting, Allport told Freud about an experience he had on the train there. He witnessed a boy who was afraid to sit in a seat where a dirty looking man had sat previously for fear of getting diry.
Allport believed the kid acting this way because of his mother, who appeared domineering.
Frued responded, "And was that little boy you?"

5. The Outcome of the Meeting
Allport viewed his meeting as Freud turning a mere observation into an analysis of a subconscious memory of Allport’s own life.
This served as a reminder to Allport of how behaviorism doesn’t dig deep enough into ones mind and psychoanalysis digs too deep.
This lead to him to created his own theory on personality.

6. Contributions to Psychology
Allport is best known for his Trait Theory of Personality.

7. Personality Trait Theory
Allport discovered that the English Dictionary contains over 4,500 words describing different personality traits.
He categorized these traits into three levels

8. 1) Cardinal Traits
Traits that dominate a persons life so much, that they become known specifically for these traits. Allport claimed that these traits are very rare and devolope later in life.
Often, when one possesses cardinal traits, their name becomes synonymous with these qualities.
Ex: Freudian, Christ-like, herculean, narcissism

9. 2) Central Traits
These are general characteristics that form the foundations of personality.
They aren’t as dominating as cardinal traits but are major characteristics used to describe a persons personality.
Ex: intelligent, honest, shy and anxious

10. 3) Secondary Traits
These traits are only present under certain circumstances.
Ex: Getting nervous before a test or performing well under stress.

11. Trait Theory Video

12. The End

13. Works Cited