12.1 Allport

ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL

Uniqueness of the Individual

• Allport emphasized the uniqueness of each individual.

• Traits alone do not capture individual differences.

• Distinction between morphogenic and nomothetic methods:

  • Morphogenic methods: Gather data on a single individual.

  • Nomothetic methods: Gather data on groups of people.

• Preference for broad, comprehensive theories over narrow ones.

Biography of Gordon Allport

• Birth: Montezuma, Indiana, 1897.

• Family Background: Youngest son of a country doctor and a former school teacher.

• Upbringing: Learned importance of clean language, conduct, and seeking ultimate religious answers from his mother.

• Education: Earned undergraduate degrees in philosophy and economics from Harvard in 1919, with lasting impressions from courses in psychology and social ethics.

Academic Journey

• After a meeting with Freud, completed a PhD in psychology at Harvard in 1922.

• First psychology course on personality in an American college combining social ethics with psychology.

• Reflected Allport’s personal dispositions focused on cleanliness and morality.

• Served as President of the American Psychological Association in 1939.

• Died in 1967 from lung cancer.

Defining Personality

• Sought to answer: What is personality?

• Offered 49 definitions across various fields and a 50th in 1937 defining personality as:

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

• In 1961, redefined it to include characteristic behavior and thought.

Key Concepts of Personality

• Dynamic organization:

  • Implies integration and interrelatedness of personality aspects.

  • Organized, patterned, and subject to change.

• Psychophysical:

  • Encompasses both psychological (internal) and physical (external) aspects.

• Characteristic behavior and thought:

  • Marks personal uniqueness, including overt (actions) and covert (thoughts) behaviors.

Summary of Personality Characteristics

• Personality as:

  • Both physical and psychological.

  • Includes overt and covert thoughts.

  • Not only "is" but also "does."

  • A blend of substance and change, product and process, structure and growth.

Role of Conscious Motivation

• Healthy adults should be aware of their actions and motivations.

• Acknowledge self-report as true, while recognizing some motivations stem from hidden impulses.

• Compulsive behaviors often originate in childhood experiences.

Characteristics of a Healthy Person

• Proactive behavior: Engaging with the environment intentionally.

• Motivated by conscious processes that promote flexibility and autonomy.

• Experience a trauma-free childhood; conflict may arise later.

• Maturity is not age-dependent; often develops with age.

Criteria for Maturity (Allport, 1961)

1. Extension of the sense of self:

   • Engaging with and identifying with events outside oneself.

2. Warm relationships with others:

   • Capacity for intimate and compassionate love.

3. Emotional security:

   • Acceptance of oneself and emotional stability.

4. Realistic perception of the environment:

   • Focused on problem-solving, avoiding fantasy.

5. Insight and humor:

   • Self-awareness and a non-hostile sense of humor.

6. Unifying philosophy of life:

   • Comprehensive view of life’s purpose, with or without religion.

Structure of Personality

• Basic units or building blocks of personality include:

  • Personal dispositions: Individual-specific generalized neuropsychic structures that guide behavior.

  • Difference from common traits, which are shared across individuals in a culture.

Levels of Personal Dispositions

1. Cardinal dispositions:

   • Dominant characteristics that dictate much of an individual’s life; rare but significant.

2. Central dispositions:

   • Key characteristics that can be noted in letters of recommendation; 5-10 defining traits.

3. Secondary dispositions:

   • Less central traits occurring regularly, influencing specific behaviors.

Motivational and Stylistic Dispositions

• All dispositions are dynamic and motivational:

  • Motivational dispositions: Strong urges driving actions.

  • Stylistic motivation: Less intense, guiding behaviors such as appearance and habits.

• Proprium:

  • Central and warm behaviors linked to an individual’s values and personal beliefs.

Motivation According to Allport

• Focus on present drives rather than past experiences.

• Define two types of motives:

  • Peripheral motives: Aimed at reducing needs.

  • Propriate strivings: Focus on maintaining personal tension and seeking growth.

Functional Autonomy in Motivation

• A theory emphasizing changing motives:

  • A motive is functionally autonomous when it explains behavior independently of past drives.

  • Conscious, self-sustaining motivations are common; motivations can evolve.

Levels of Functional Autonomy

1. Perseverative functional autonomy:

   • Behaviors persist even without original motives (e.g., addictions).

2. Propriate functional autonomy:

   • Self-directed motives linked to personal identity and values.

Criterion for Functional Autonomy

• Behavior continues despite motivations changing over time.

• Exclusion of certain processes from functional autonomy:

  • Biological drives like eating and sleeping, reflex actions, and habits under formation.

The Study of the Individual

• Morphogenic Science:

  • Distinction between nomothetic (general laws) and idiographic (individual cases) approaches.

  • Preferred method for studying individual differences in personality.

Methods for Morphogenic Study

• Wholly morphogenic methods:

  • Include verbatim recordings, interviews, art forms, etc.

• Semi-morphogenic methods:

  • Self-rating scales and standardized tests that measure individual traits relative to their own standards rather than a group average.

Religious Orientation Scale (ROS)

• Extrinsic orientation: Uses religion for personal gain.

• Intrinsic orientation: Deep connection to religious faith, leading to better well-being.

• Research shows optimal contact reduces prejudice across various groups.

Religion, Prayer, and Health Findings

• Regular church attendance linked to improved well-being and longevity.

• Intrinsic religious orientation buffers against stress; extrinsic may relate to depression.

Assessment of Allport’s Theory

• High in parsimony and internal consistency.

• Moderate in generating research and guiding practical actions.

• Low in falsifiability and organizing extensive knowledge.

Core Philosophical Themes in Allport’s Work

• Emphasis on free choice over determinism.

• Optimism over pessimism.

• Teleological (purpose-driven) perspective over causal explanations.

• Importance of conscious thought versus the unconscious.

• Social influence prioritized over biological determinism.

• Uniqueness celebrated over similarities among individuals.