When studying human personality, psychologists may consider different levels of analysis. Personality can be viewed as characteristics typical of human nature and that we are “like all others” (Kluckhohn & Murray, 1953), as humans share the same basic biological components, experiences of development and social interactions. Alternatively, personality can be analysed in terms of individual and group differences, where we are “like some other[s]” (Kluckhohn & Murray, 1953). This approach considers that groups of individuals possess common characteristics, but that characteristics vary between individuals. For example, men are generally more aggressive than women, but one man may be more aggressive in comparison to another man. This level of analysis takes a nomothetic view on personality. Some theorists however may be more interested in individual uniqueness and take an idiographic approach to studying personality.
From the ancient Greek term idios meaning ‘private’ or ‘personal’, the idiographic approach emphasises that each individual is unlike any other and aims to develop an in-depth understanding of the individual by exploring their unique traits or personality variables. In contrast, the nomothetic approach - nomos meaning ‘law’ in ancient Greek - assumes that there is a limited set of variables that can be used to describe human personality and aims to identify the minimum number of these variables required to describe personality universally. The nomothetic researcher investigates “how and how much a particular individual is similar to or differs from others” (Shackleton and Fletcher, 1984) and therefore uses quantitative methods such as self-report questionnaires. From quantitative data psychologists can establish which p...
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...f individuals, identify common themes and form hypotheses, and nomothetic methodology can then be used to investigate the theories.
Allport (1937) deemed science as nomothetic and psychology to be concerned with the study of individuals, suggesting that psychology is perhaps not a science, but by combining both the nomothetic and idiographic approaches, science and personality are combined forming a “science of personality” (Beck, 1953) . Allport (1960) reasoned that “unless such idiographic (particular) knowledge is fused with nomothetic (universal) knowledge, we shall not achieve the aims of science”. In which respect, by approaching the study of personality with both nomothetic and idiographic methodology, an agreement can be made that “Every man is in certain respects like all other men, like some other men and like no other men” (Kluckholm and Murray, 1953).
A Comparison of Psychodynamic and Social Learning in Regards to the Development of Personality "No Works Cited" “Psychologists define personality in many ways, but common to all of the ways are two basic concepts, uniqueness and characteristic patterns of behaviour. We will define personality as the complex set of unique psychological qualities that influence an individuals characteristic patterns of behaviour across different situations and over time.” (Psychology In Life, Phillip .G. Zimbardo, page 509)
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” Personality is characterized by many dimensions of a person’s overall being. The belief that personality stems from one origin is small minded and on many levels, unsupported. If the scope of personality is expanded, it suggests that there is not a single explanation determining a person’s personality and how it is formed. Personality Theories have been generated for centuries by individuals who desire to identify what distinguishes a person’s personality and how it affects their behaviors. What is it that comprises all the unique characteristics about a person?
An individual’s behaviour may differ depending on the circumstances they are in though there are definite signs of repetitive behaviour when placed in majority of the situations. These characteristics are known as traits which make up the personality of each person (Engler, 2014). Personality theorists do not have a mutual agreement on how the term personality should be used. They each have their definition of personality thus providing a large number of diverse personality theories (Engler, 2014). For example, Eysenck (1970) defined personality as a relatively permanent and consistent composition of an individual’s disposition that in turn establishes how the person adjusts to their
“Everyday conceptions of personality traits make two key assumptions. First, traits are stable over time… Second, it is generally believed that traits directly influence behavior” (Matthews, Deary, & Whiteman, 2003). Traits can be used as explanations or reasoning for behavior or mood. There have been several notable psychologists to agree with and study the trait theory of personality. Gordon Allport was a psychologist that devoted his work to personality psychology with a focus on the trait perspective (Allport, 1961). Carr and Kingsbury (1938) advocated for further research into personality traits and the idea that the human personality was made specifically of traits even if the traits were not always overt or observable, but rather a person’s behavior could be interpreted to learn about what traits they may
Utility of assessment. Why are these types of personality assessments useful? Did you find the results useful? Why or why not?
Personality is universal; we all have at least one. However, personality is also unique to each of us, just like our fingerprints, representing our patterns of thought, behaviors and beliefs. When I look at my friend Sarah, a bubbly, yet anxious college student, I can see two aspects of her personality clearly: on the bright side, she is cheerful and ready to please, on the gloomy side, she is also a nervous wreck and is easily stressed. How did Sarah 's personality become this way?
In the following essay, we discuss different theoretical perspectives from Nomothetic and Idiographic approach. How they apply to both Personality (pattern of behavior and thinking) and Intelligence (thinking and behavior). Arguments for both sides are base on what psychologists generally use them as, because some might disagrees with the usage of the word nomothetic and idiographic, orientated by Kantian and Wilhelm Windelband.
I found the results of my self-assessments to be a very insightful and accurate description of myself. The results of the learning styles test and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II are very valuable for examining my personality traits and learning style and making improvements as needed.
Personality is patterns of thinking, behavior and emotional responses that make up individuality over time. Psychologist attempt to understand how personality develops and its impact on how we behave. Several theories attempt to explain personality, using different approaches. The social-cognitive and humanistic approaches are two of many theories that attempt to explain personality. This essay will identify the main concepts of social-cognitive and humanistic approach, identify perspective differences and discuss approach limitations.
A person’s personality has been the subject of psychological scrutiny for many years. Psychologists have drawn up several theories in an attempt to accurately predict and determine one’s personality. Foremost amongst these, is the “Big Five Trait Theory” which stemmed from Raymond B. Cattell’s theory.
The study of personality traits is beneficial in identifying the many variables that exist from human to human; the combinations of these variables provide us with a true level of individuality and uniqueness. In the field of psychology, trait theory is considered to be a key approach to the study of human personality (Crowne, 2007; Burton, Westen & Kowalski, 2009). This paper aims to identify a number of significant contributors who have played crucial roles in both the development and application of trait theory. This paper then moves focus to these theorists, outlining their theory and analysing both the strengths and weaknesses of those theories. An illustration of the methods used in trait measurement is given and includes the arguments for and against such procedures.
In all historical aspects, psychology can show us the diverse ranges of how it is evolving throughout our world today. Ancient Greeks and philosophers in the 4th century, show us the early development of personality psychology. They wanted to figure out what actually makes us who we are. Aristotle was one of the first individuals to hypothesize connections between physical aspects of the body and behavior. Today there are many different theoretical vi...
Personality, which is defined as the unique and relatively stable ways in which people think, feel, and behave, is something that is quite difficult to gauge and measure-something that is to be expected, considering it is somewhat of an abstract concept-however, psychologists have developed four different perspectives of personality as a way to “measure” personality; those four perspectives are as follows: the psychoanalytic perspective-whose main focal point is on the role of the unconscious mind in the development of personality, the behaviorist perspective-which focuses mainly on the effect a particular environment has on a person’s behavior, the humanistic perspective-which focuses primarily on the conscious life experiences and choices
This book sets off with the ideas of 50 popular psychologists and comprises their development over a century in time. It explores and provides their crucial thoughts and insights into the personality, mind and human nature, bringing together their most influential concepts and theories collected.
The concept of personality has numerous definitions (Fatahi, Moradi, & Kashani-Vahid, 2016). Schultz and Schultz (2009), define personality in its broad sense as the manner of an individual’s behaviour in different situations. This essay explores the nature of personality, with the intention of highlighting its flexibility. The results of numerous empirical research studies are examined in order to investigate if, and how personality changes over time. It will be argued that an individual’s personality has the ability to change throughout their life.