Post on 11-Jul-2015
Rebel with a cause
Trait Theory
Hans Eysenck
Objectives
At the end of this lesson you should be able to:
Know and expound on Hans Eysenck life.
• Understand & explain the meaning of personality ‘type’, ‘trait’ &
‘dimension’
• Describe & explain ‘extroversion’, ‘introversion’, ‘neuroticism’ &
‘normality’
• Understand the relation of dimensions to personality temperaments
• Describe & explain Eysenck’s biological explanation for personality
About Hans Eysenck Hans Eysenck was born in Berlin, Germany on March 4, 1916.
He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of
London in 1940.
He has written 75 books and some 700 articles. Eysenck retired
in 1983 and continued to write until his death on September 4,
1997.
Before his death in 1997, he was the most cited living
psychologist, and he is the third most cited psychologist of all
time, after Freud and Piaget.
What did Eysenck contribute to psychology?
He developed the concept of neuroticism, arguing that it was a
biological form of emotional instability. He frequently argued
that much of personality is genetically determined and
published several papers on this topic.
Personality Terms
Personality: a person’s internally based characteristic way of
acting and thinking.
Character: Personal characteristics that have been judged or
evaluated
Temperament: Hereditary aspects of personality, including
sensitivity, moods, irritability, and distractibility
Personality Trait: Stable qualities that a person shows in most
situations
Personality Type: People who have several traits in common
Hans J. Eysenck: Definition of Personality Personality is “the sum-total of the actual or potential behavior-patterns of
the organism, as determined by heredity and environment it originates anddevelops through the functional interaction of the four main sectors intowhich these behavior-patterns are organized. For Eysenck, personalityconsists of acts and dispositions organized in a hierarchical fashion in termsof their level of generality. The cognitive sector (intelligence), the conativesector (character), the affective sector (temperament), and the somaticsector (constitution).”
Three Dimensions of Personality
1.Extraversion 2. Neuroticism 3. Psychoticism
Introversion versus Extroversion
• Emotionally Stable versus Unstable (neurotic)
• Impulse Control versus Psychotic
Extraversion - Introversion:
Extraversion: toughmindedness; impulsiveness; tendency to
be outgoing; desire for novelty; performance enhanced by
excitement; preference for vocations involving contact with
other people; tolerance for pain.
Introversion: tendermindedness; introspectiveness;
seriousness; performance interfered with by excitement;
easily aroused but restrained, inhibited; preference for
solitary vocations; sensitivity to pain.
Neuroticism- Psychoticism
Neuroticism: Below-average emotional control, will-power,
and capacity to exert self; slowness in thought and action;
suggestibility; lack of persistence; tendency to repress
unpleasant facts; lack of sociability; below-average sensory
acuity but high level of activation.
Psychoticism: Poor concentration, poor memory;
insensitivity; lack of caring for others; cruelty; disregard for
danger and convention; occasionally originality and/or
creativity; liking for unusual things; considered peculiar by
others.
4 Basic Temperaments
The first two factors create 4 combinations, related to the four
basic temperaments recognized by ancient Greeks:
• Melancholic (introverted + unstable): sad, gloomy
• Choleric (extroverted + unstable): hot-tempered, irritable
• Phlegmatic (introverted + stable): sluggish, calm
• Sanguine (extroverted + stable): cheerful, hopeful
Superfactor
s
Eysenck Hierarchy
Specific Behaviors
Habits
Traits
Super-
Factors
Hierarchy of Behaviour Organization
Persist
with
hobbies
Finish
es a
job
Keeps
school
work
Studi
es
alone
Works
on
hobbies
alone
Turns
down
invitatio
ns
Introversio
n
Persistence Social Shyness
Type
Trait
Habits
Specific behaviours
Activity
http://youtu.be/hY5uL0sVxnM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Qs7cpixd0
Men vs. Women: Who is Higher on P???
Psychoticism vs. Tender mindedness
High Psychoticism:
Egocentric, Impulsive, Non-conforming.
Suspicious, Sometimes antisocial.
Low Psychoticism (Tender Minded)
Warm, (Fuzzy?), Caring, Cooperative.
Conforming to social norms.
Right! Males tend to show higher psychoticism than females:
Biological Basis of Personality
“Biological causes act in such a way as to predispose an
individual in certain ways to stimulation; this stimulation may or
may not occur, depending on circumstances which are entirely
under environmental control” – Eysenck 1997.
Biological Basis of Personality
Personality types result from differences in central nervoussystem (CNS) functioning
Implications:
• Genetic basis of personality
• Relatively stable & unchanging
• However the environment interacts with biologicalpredispositions
Biological Basis of Extroversion/Introversion
ARAS system:
• Ascending Reticular Activation System
• Cortical excitation & inhibition
High ARAS arousal:
• Predisposes to introversion
Low ARAS arousal:
• Predisposes to extroversion
Evidence: Introverts have higher sedation threshold than extroverts(cf. ADHD)
Some empirical findings
• Introverts less tolerant of painful electric shocks (Bartol & Costello, 1976)
• Corr et al (1995): After high dose of caffeine: Introverts poorer performance (over-stimulated?); Extroverts better performance (stimulated?)
• Frontal lobes of introverts more active than extroverts (PET scan) (Johnson et al, 1999)
Biological Basis of Neuroticism/Normality
Visceral Brain (VB) system
• Hypothalamus & limbic system
• Mediates emotional activation
High VB activation:
• Predisposed to neuroticism (emotionally reactive)
Low VB activation:
• Predisposed to normality (non-emotionally reactive)
Extroverts:Normal & NeuroticSanguine
Normal Extrovert
• Low ARAS arousal
• Low visceral brain activity
Choleric
Neurotic Extrovert
• Low ARAS arousal
• High visceral brain activity
Introverts: Normal & NeuroticPhlegmatic
Normal Introvert
• High ARAS arousal
• Low visceral brain activity
Melancholic
Neurotic Introvert
• High ARAS arousal
• High visceral brain activity
Evaluation
• Twin studies: E & N: 50% genetic
• Adoption studies: Correlations b/w adoptive parents & adopted children for E & N are around 0%
• E, N & P: highest validity of all traits (Kline, 1993)
References Boeree, C. (2006, January 1). Hans Eysenck. Retrieved November
11, 2014, from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/eysenck.html
Feist, J., & Fiest, G. (2008). Dispositional Theories. In Theories ofPersonality (Seventh ed., p. 627). McGraw-Hill Primis.
Hergenhahn, B.R.&Olson, M.H. (2010). An Introduction to Theoriesof Personality (8th ed.). UpperSaddleRiver, N.J: Pearson Education,Inc.
Schultz, D., & Schultz, S. (2009). The Social-Learning Approach.In Theories of Personality(Ninth ed., p. 539). Belmont: WadsworthCengage Learning.
Zuckerman, M., Eysenck, S. B. J., & Eysenck, H. J. (1978).Sensation seeking in England and America: Cross-cultural, age,and sex comparisons. Journal of Consulting and ClinicalPsychology, 46(1), 139-149.