Personality Theories
Personality Theories
Personality is the organised pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving that makes a person consistently recognisable. Theories of personality fall into type theories, which sort people into categories, and trait theories, which measure everyone on the same continuous dimensions.
Type theories
| Theorist | Basis | Types |
|---|---|---|
| Hippocrates | Body fluids (humours) | Sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic |
| Kretschmer | Body build | Pyknic, asthenic, athletic, dysplastic |
| Sheldon | Body build | Endomorph, mesomorph, ectomorph |
| Jung | Direction of psychic energy | Introvert, extrovert (ambivert added later) |
| Spranger | Dominant values | Theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, political, religious |
Trait theories
A trait is a relatively stable tendency, such as shyness or persistence. Allport divided traits into cardinal (one dominating trait), central (five to ten that describe a person) and secondary (situation-specific). Cattell reduced them to 16 source traits measured by the 16 PF. Eysenck proposed three dimensions — extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism.
How personality is measured
Three families of tools appear in the exam. Subjective methods such as interview and autobiography ask the person directly. Objective methods such as rating scales, questionnaires and the 16 PF use fixed items and scoring. Projective methods present ambiguous material — ink blots in the Rorschach test, pictures in the Thematic Apperception Test, unfinished sentences — on the assumption that the person will project inner feelings into it. For children, observation over time and anecdotal records remain the most practical of all.
Freud's structure of personality
Sigmund Freud described three parts: the id, present from birth, demanding immediate pleasure; the ego, which works on the reality principle and negotiates; and the superego, the internalised moral standard. He also gave defence mechanisms — repression, projection, rationalisation, sublimation, regression — which appear in CTET items about a child's behaviour.
What a teacher does with this
- Do not label children. 'He is an introvert' becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy in Class 3.
- Give quiet children written and small-group ways to participate rather than forcing public speech.
- Read misbehaviour as a signal: regression, such as a Class 4 child suddenly babbling like a toddler, often follows stress at home.
- Remember personality is shaped by heredity and environment together, so classroom experience does change it.
✗ Kretschmer classified personality on the basis of body fluids. | ✓ Kretschmer used body build; the fluid or humour classification is Hippocrates'.
संकेत: प्रकार सिद्धांत (type) लोगों को खानों में बाँटता है; विशेषक सिद्धांत (trait) सबको एक ही पैमाने पर मापता है।
Personality supplies 1-2 questions, and they are usually 'who classified on what basis' items. Keep three pairs fixed: Hippocrates with body fluids, Kretschmer and Sheldon with body build, Jung with introvert and extrovert. The trap swaps Kretschmer's and Sheldon's terms, so remember Sheldon's all end in -morph. Projective tests also appear: the Rorschach ink blot and the Thematic Apperception Test are projective, while a questionnaire like the 16 PF is not.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between type and trait theories of personality?
Type theories place a person in one of a few fixed categories, such as introvert or extrovert. Trait theories assume everyone has every trait in some degree and describe a person by their position on each continuous dimension.
Who classified personality as introvert and extrovert?
Carl Jung, on the basis of whether a person's psychic energy is directed inward towards thoughts and feelings or outward towards people and events. The intermediate ambivert category was added later.
Which tests are projective tests of personality?
The Rorschach ink blot test and the Thematic Apperception Test are the standard examples. They present ambiguous material so that the person projects inner feelings, unlike questionnaires which ask direct questions.
60-second recap
- Personality = consistent pattern of thinking, feeling and behaving.
- Type theories: Hippocrates (fluids), Kretschmer and Sheldon (body build), Jung (introvert-extrovert).
- Trait theories: Allport (cardinal, central, secondary), Cattell (16 PF), Eysenck (three dimensions).
- Freud: id, ego, superego, plus defence mechanisms.
- Rorschach and TAT are projective tests; avoid labelling children in class.