McCrae and Costa Five Factor Model

Trait

Habitual patterns of behavior, thought, emotions that are relatively stable for a specific time.

Gordon Allport

Psychologist who identified 17,953 words describing traits using a dictionary.

Raymond Cattell

Psychologist who turned trait descriptions into questions and used L-data and Q-data to identify 16 personality factor traits.

Eysenck

Psychologist who used an empiricist approach and confirmatory factor analysis to identify 3 personality factors - extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism.

Big Five

Five Factor Model by Paul Costa and Robert McCrae consisting of Neuroticism, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion.

Basic Tendencies

Raw material personality capacity and disposition of a person, such as biological predispositions.

Characteristic Adaptations

The ability to change and adapt in personality traits.

Self-Concept

Evaluation of who you are, including personal myths and changes in characteristic adaptations.

Biological Bases

Factors influencing basic tendencies, including genes, hormones, brain structure, and early experiences.

Objective Biography

Focus on what happened in a person's life rather than the individual's perception of those experiences.