Gordon Allport

psychology of the individual

Gordon Allport’s theory

November 11, 1897 in Montezuma, Indiana, USA

Gordon Allport was born on

Gordon Allport

• His father was a physician and his mother was a teacher

• He was the youngest among four bothers

2nd

Allport ranked — amongst 100 high school graduates in his secondary s

An Experimental Study of the Traits of Personality

his dissertation was entitled —

American Psychological Association

Gordon Allport eventually became the president of the —

personality

is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to his environment.

dynamic organization

Personality is constantly changing, although there is an organization/system that binds together the various components of the personality

psychophysical

this notion entails the operation of both body and mind, fused together

determine

• Personality is made up of — tendencies that play an active role in the individual’s behavior.

• Personality is something and does something.

character

The notion of — implies some code of behavior in terms of which individuals and their acts are appraised/evaluated

temperament

these are dispositions that are closely linked to biological or physiological determinants and that consequently show relative little modification with development

trait

These are neuropsychic structure having the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent, and to initiate and guide equivalent (meaningfully consistent) forms of adaptive and expressive behavior.

personal dispostion

This is a neuropsychic structure peculiar to the individual having the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent, and to initiate and guide equivalent (meaningfully consistent) forms of adaptive and stylistic behavior

morphogenic traits

personal disposition is also called

trait and personal disposition

• These are loose tendencies, each expression of which is slightly different
  because it occurs in the face of different determining conditions. They are inferred from behavior, not directly observed.

• Such inferences are based from frequency of the behavior, range of situations in which it arises, and the intensity of the behavior

habit

• are also determining tendencies but are less general than traits and personal dispositions.

• Traits are often a combination of two or more —

attitude

• This is also a predisposition that can be unique, may initiate and guide behavior, and a product of genetic factors and learning.

• It is linked to a specific object or class of objects.

• It usually implies evaluation (acceptance of rejection) of the object toward which it is directed.

types

are idealized constructions of the observer, and the individual can be fitted to them, but only at the loss of some distinctive identity

cardinal disposition

• These are very general dispositions, that almost every act of the person who possesses one seems traceable to its influence.

• They dominate the personality, influencing almost everything a person does

central disposition

These dispositions are highly characteristic of the individual

secondary disposition

• these dispositions are more limited in occurrence, and less crucial to a description of the personality,

• They are responses to particular stimuli which occur on rare occasions

proprium

• is the region of the personality where we find the root of the consistency that marks attitudes, intentions, and evaluations.

• It is not innate but develops in time

self-identity, self-esteem, self- extension, sense of selfhood, rational thinking, self-image, cognitive style, function of knowing.

proprium is comprised of ego functions such as:

1. sense of self

2. sense of continuing self-identity

3. self-esteem or pride

4. extension of the self

5. self-image

6. reason

7. propriate strivings

Seven Aspects of The Self, and they constitute the proprium

0-3 yrs old

The following Aspects of the Self are developed during this phase:
1. Sense of self
2. Sense of continuing self-identity
3. Self-esteem or pride

4-9 yrs old

The following Aspects of the Self are developed during this phase:
1. Extension of the self
2. Self-image

6-12 yrs old

The following Aspects of the Self are developed during this phase:
1. Awareness that it can cope with problems by means of reason

Adolescence

The following Aspects of the Self are developed during this phase:
1. propriate strivings —Emergence of Intentions, long-range purposes, and distant goals

maturity

entails increasing reliance on personal and/or internal standards of behavior

Must Conscience

Childhood (0-3 yo): —-

- This involves internalization of parental and cultural rules

should conscience

4-6 yo: —
- This is governed not by fear of punishment but by the positive structure of the propriate strivings.

mature Generic Conscience

adult: (maturity)

functional autonomy

• The principle states that a given activity/behavior may become an end in itself in spite of the fact that it was originally engaged in some other reason.

• This is the most controversial concept by Allport

preservative functional autonomy

includes addictions, repetitious acts, and routines

propriate functional autonomy

Refers to acquired interests, values, sentiments, intentions, master motives, personal dispositions, self-image, and lifestyle

1. principle or organizing the energy level

2. principle of mastery and competence

3. principle of propriate patterning

principles of origin of functional autonomy

principle of organizing the energy level

• Healthy people need activities to absorb the energy left over after their opportunistic needs have been gratified.

• There must be motives to consume one’s available energies

principle of mastery and competence

motives that lead to feelings of competence tend to become self-sustaining

principle of propriate patterning

those motives most consistent with or expressive of the self becomes autonomous: the self-structure demands it

infant

• are creatures of heredity, primitive drives, and reflex existence.

• they don’t have a personality yet, but may show some patterns that are the forerunners of subsequent personality.

• They are persons of segmental tension and pleasure-pain feelings

eclectic

on learning, Allport had an — approach:

Conditioning, reinforcement theory, habit

are valid principles for animals, infants, and opportunistic learning

propriate learning

Identification, closure, cognitive insight, self-image, and subsidiation to active ego systems are valid for

adult

• their most important motives are not echoes of the past but beckonings
  from the future.

• However, not all — achieve full maturity

the mature personality

• possesses an Extension of the Self

• A person should not be solely preoccupied with own needs.

• should be able to participate in and enjoy many activities

• Satisfaction and frustrations should be many and diverse

• Has a unifying philosophy of life

religion

philosophy of life —- s a good common source of this, but is not the only source

idiographic

this is the research of the qualities of the individual

morphogenic

idiographic was later changed into —

nomothetic

this is the research for universal qualities among humans

Windelband

Allport borrowed the terms from German philosopher —

humanistic psychology

Allport’s theory has similarities to —, which states that human motives are not merely biological