Traitteoriat

Traitteoriat is a school of thought in personality psychology that explains consistent patterns in thoughts, feelings, and behavior by positing enduring dispositions called traits. In this view, traits are relatively stable across situations and over time, producing predictability in how people act.

Its development began in the early 20th century with Gordon Allport, who distinguished cardinal, central, and secondary traits; Raymond Cattell, who used factor analysis to identify a set of source traits; and Hans Eysenck, who proposed a hierarchical model with three broad dimensions. The most influential contemporary framework is the Five-Factor Model, or Big Five, summarized by Costa and McCrae as openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Core concepts include that traits are inferable from behavior across contexts, have both heritable and environmental components, and can be measured with psychometric inventories. Researchers rely on factor analysis, reliability testing, and validity studies, including cross-cultural research to assess universality and variation of trait structure.

Applications span clinical assessment, personnel selection, education, and research. Trait profiles aid in predicting performance, health outcomes, and interpersonal dynamics, while researchers examine links between traits and behavior, development across the lifespan, and interactions among dimensions.

Criticisms address the influence of situational factors, cultural variability in trait structure, and the risk of reducing complex behavior to a small set of traits. Proponents argue trait-based approaches offer a practical, parsimonious framework for understanding stable individual differences while recognizing context.

See also: personality psychology, trait theory, Big Five.