Gordon Allport
1897-1967
Theory
Personality
“the dynamic organization within the individual of those
psychophysical systems that determine his unique
adjustments to the environment” (later changed to “that
determine his characteristic behavior and thougt”
Theory
Traits
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Primary units of study of personality
Predispositions to respond in the same or similar manner to
different stimuli.
Theory
Two main types of traits:
1. Common traits
 Possessed by many people (including cultures) to a
varying extent
 How we compare to others (nomethetic research)
 Explains unique variations among people
Theory
2. Personal dispositions (individual traits)
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Unique to or possessed by only one person
 “peculiar to the individual”
Unique variations within an individual (ideographic research)
3 kinds
 Cardinal traits
• The most significant and dominant feature of an individuals
personality
• So pervasive it touches most aspects of a person’s life
• Not many people have these
Theory
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Central Traits
• Typify our normal functions
• Usually involves 5 to 10 adjectives
type of words we might use to describe
someone
Secondary traits
• Somewhat consistent but less influence as
central traits
Personality Development
Proprium
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His term for the “self”
The core of our personality
 Those characteristics which we consider to be “peculiarly mine”
“the totality of the person as process, an entity that is becoming”
 Contains the vital physical, psychological, and social aspects
help define our sense of self
Propriate Striving
Proprium Development
1. Bodily sense (birth to age 1)
What is me and what is not
 The sense of one’s body, its separateness from other bodies, and
its basic parts
2. Self Identity (age 1 to 2)
 Names self
 The sense of inner sameness, of continuity to the self, and having a
distinct name
 Depends on capacity for language
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Proprium Development
3. Self Esteem (age 2 to 3)
Pride through achievement
 The sense of competence and to feel some self control over ones
environment
 Test the limits of our environment and often refuse to take orders
from others
4. Self Extension (age 3-4)
 Identifies “ego extensions”
 The sense of possessing external objects and/or people
 Eventually helps produce loyalties
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Proprium Development
5. Self Image (age 4 to 6)
 Good and bad me
 Begin to evaluate present abilities and future possibilities
 Compare what we do with others expectations of us
 Awareness of satisfying or not satisfying parents expectations
 Saw this as foundation of adult conscience
6. Self as Rational Coper (age 6 to 12)
 Learn problem solving skills, how to think rationally, and deal with
reality
Proprium Development
7. Propriate Striving (Age 12 to 20s)
 Motivational period of who a person wants to be and wants to
become (greater influence than past)
 Involves long range goal planning, etc.
 Functional autonomy begins
8. Self as knower (adulthood)
 Awareness of self
 Merging of all the other stages
Theory
A motive of behavior may begin as a result of
something that has happened in a child’s life or other
need
It will eventually start to function independently of its
origin
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Functional autonomy
Theory
Two types of functional autonomy:
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Perseverative functional autonomy
 Repetitive and habitual, daily tasks / behavior
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Would include psychological addictions here
Continue w/o any external reward
No longer serves original purpose but continues
Theory
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Propriate functional autonomy
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Continues even though the motivation has changed
More important than perseverative functional autonomy
Unique to the individual
More self directive
Values and personal motives that enhances a person’s
self esteem and image (proprium)
The Healthy Adult
Capacity for Self Extension
 Broad interests
Acceptance of self and others, ability for warm human interaction
 Intimacy w/o possession or jealousy
Emotional Security, Self Acceptance, and Realistic perceptions
 Positive self image
 Tolerance to accept conflicts and frustrations of life
 See events as they are (and ourselves), not as we hope them to be
 Unrealistic optimism and pessimism avoided
The Healthy Adult
Ability to plan and delay gratification
 Discipline and self control
Self Objectification and Insight
 Seeing oneself objectively with insight and humor
Demonstrate a Uniform Philosophy of Life
 Movement toward some unifying orientation in life