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Theories of Personality
Eighth Edition
By Jess Feist, Gregory J. Feist, and Tomi-
Ann Roberts

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© 2018 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Introduction to
Personality Theory
Chapter 1

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© 2018 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

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Outline, 1
What Is Personality?

What Is Theory?
• Theory Defined
• Why Different Theories?
• What Makes a Theory Useful?

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© 2018 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

Outline, 2
Dimensions for a Concept of Humanity

Research in Personality Theory

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What Is Personality? 1
Word stems from “persona”
• Latin for “mask”

Personality Defined
• A pattern of relatively permanent traits and
unique characteristics that give both consistency
and individuality to a person’s behavior

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© 2018 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

What Is Personality? 2
Traits
• Consistency over time
• Individual differences in behavior
• Stability across situations

Characteristics
• Unique qualities (e.g., temperament, physique,
and intelligence)
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What Is a Theory?
Theory Defined
• A set of related assumptions that allows
scientists to use logical deductive reasoning to
formulate testable hypotheses

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Theory and Its Relatives, 1

Philosophy
• Broader than theory

Speculation
• Tied to empirical data and science

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Theory and Its Relatives, 2

Hypothesis
• Specific guess that can be tested using scientific
method

Taxonomy
• Classification according to natural relationships

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Why Different Theories?

Different Personal Backgrounds
• Childhood experiences
• Interpersonal relationships

Different Philosophical Orientations

Unique Ways of Looking at the World

Data Chosen to Observe are Different

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Theorists’ Personalities and Their

Theories of Personality
Psychology of Science
• Studies both science and the behavior of
scientists

The personalities and psychology of different

theorists influence the kinds of theories that
they develop

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What Makes a Theory Useful:

Criteria for Evaluating a Theory
A useful theory:

• Generates Research
• Is Falsifiable (Verifiable)
• Organizes Known Data
• Guides Action (Practical)
• Is Internally Consistent
• Is Parsimonious
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Dimensions for a
Concept of Humanity
• Determinism vs. Free Choice
• Pessimism vs. Optimism
• Causality vs. Teleology
• Conscious vs. Unconscious Determinants
of Behavior
• Biological vs. Social Influences on
Personality
• Uniqueness vs. Similarities
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Research in Personality Theory, 1

Theory gives meaning to data

Data come from experimental research

designed to test hypothesis generated by the
theory

Systematic observations
• Predictions are consistent and accurate
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Research in Personality Theory, 2

Two Empirical Criteria for Instruments
• Reliability
• Consistency of Measurement
• Validity
• Construct Validity
• Convergent
• Divergent
• Discriminant
• Predictive Validity
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