Psychology › Section K · Personality › Topic K.7
Trait theories and the Big Five
Instead of asking where personality comes from, trait theorists asked a simpler question first: how should we describe it? Their answer, refined over a century, is the Big Five, the most widely used and best-supported model in personality psychology today.
In this topic
- What a trait approach does
- Allport: cardinal, central and secondary traits
- Worked example: Allport's three levels
- Cattell and the 16PF
- The Eysencks: two dimensions
- The Big Five
- Worked example: building a Big Five profile
- How good is the evidence?
- Stability and change
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
This topic is part of Wuanberri Pro. Checking your access…