Theories of Personality Eysenck’s Biologically Based

Factor Theory

Chapter 14

Outline

• Overview of Factor and Trait Theories• Biography of Hans J. Eysenck• Basics of Factor Analysis• Eysenck’s Factor Theory• Dimensions of Personality • Measuring Personality• Biological Bases of Personality• Personality as a Predictor• Related Research• Critique of Trait and Factor Theories• Concept of Humanity

Overview of Factor and Trait Theories

• Utilize Factor Analytic Methods to Determine How Many Traits or Dispositions

• Disagreement on How Many Personality Traits– Cattell: Many Factors– Eysenck: Three Factors– McCrae and Costa: Five Factors

Biography of Eysenck

• Born in Berlin, Germany in 1916• As a teenager, moved to England to escape

Nazis• Received his PhD in psychology at the

University of London in 1940• Published Dimensions of Personality in 1947• One of the most prolific and controversial

psychologists in the world• Died in 1997 at age 81

Basics of Factor Analysis

• Correlation coefficient• Factor analysis• Factors• Factor loadings• Unipolar and bipolar traits• Eysenck orthogonal rotation• Cattell oblique rotation

Cattell’s Trait Theory

• Cattell’s Method– Used inductive method to gather data– Used three different media of observation

• L data• Q data• T data

– Divided traits into common and unique traits

– His approach yielded 35 primary or first-order traits

Eysenck’s Factor Theory

• Criteria for Identifying Factors– Psychometric evidence– Heritability– Must make sense from a theoretical point of view– Must possess social relevance

• Hierarchy of Behavior Organization (from lowest to highest)– Specific acts or cognitions– Habitual acts or cognitions– Traits– Types or superfactors

Dimensions of Personality

• Three General Superfactors– Extraversion– Neuroticism– Psychoticism

Biological Basis of Personality

• Three fourths of personality dimensions can be accounted for by heredity

• Found these factors to exist cross-culturally

• Stability of traits over time• Twin research suggests strong

similarities on these dimensions

Critique of Trait and Factor Theories

• Trait and Factor Theories are:– Very High on Generating Research and

Parsimony– High on Organizing Knowledge– Moderate on Falsifiability – Moderate to Low as a Guide for Practitioners

and Internal Consistency

Concept of Humanity

• Eysenck is not concerned with concepts of determinism versus free choice, optimism versus pessimism, and causality versus teleology

• Biology over Social Influence• Conscious over Unconscious • Uniqueness over Similarity

Theories of Personality McCrae and Costa’s Five Factor

Trait Theory

Outline

• The Big Five: Taxonomy or Theory?• Biographies of Robert R. McCrae and Paul T.

Costa, Jr. • In Search of the Big Five• Evolution of the Five-Factor Theory• Related Research• Critique of Trait and Factor Theories• Concept of Humanity

Overview of Factor and Trait Theories

• Utilize Factor Analytic Methods to Determine How Many Traits or Dispositions

• Disagreement on How Many Personality Traits– Cattell: Many Factors– McCrae and Costa: Five Factors

The Big Five:Taxonomy or Theory?

• Taxonomies are not theories• The Five-Factor Model began as an

attempt to identify basic personality traits as revealed by factor analysis

• Evolved into a taxonomy• The model then became a theory

– It can predict and explain behavior

Biographies of Robert R. McCrae and Paul T. Costa, Jr.

• Robert McCrae was born in Maryville, Missouri in 1949

• Youngest of three children• Completed PhD in psychology at Boston University,

where he was referred to Paul Costa• Began collaborating in 1976• Costa was born in Franklin, New Hampshire in 1942• He received his PhD in human development from the

University of Chicago in 1970• The collaboration between McCrae and Costa has

been fruitful, producing over 200 joint publications

In Search of the Big Five

• Five Factors Found– Costa and McCrae utilized every major personality

inventory and came up with a five-factor solution– Most personality psychologists have opted for this

model• Cross-cultural• Demonstrate stability over time

• Description of the Five Factors– Extraversion– Neuroticism– Openness – Agreeableness– Conscientiousness

Evolution of the Five-Factor Theory

• Units of the Five-Factor Theory– Core Components of Personality

• Basic tendencies• Characteristic adaptations• Self-concept

– Peripheral Components• Biological bases• Objective biography• External Influences

• Basic Postulates– Postulates for Basic Tendencies– Postulates for Characteristic Adaptations

Related Research

• Personality and Culture– McCrae (2002)– Poortinga et al. (2000)

• Traits and Academics– Noftle & Robins (2007)

• Traits and Emotion– McNiel & Fleeson (2009)– Robinson & Clore (2007)

Critique of Trait and Factor Theories

• Trait and Factor Theories are:– Very High on Generating Research

and Parsimony– High on Organizing Knowledge– Moderate on Falsifiability – Moderate to Low as a Guide for

Practitioners and Internal Consistency

Concept of Humanity

• McCrae and Costa are not concerned with concepts of determinism versus free choice, optimism versus pessimism, and causality versus teleology

• Biology over Social Influence• Conscious over Unconscious • Uniqueness over Similarity