Cardinal Traits
A discussion of Gordon W. Allport’s Trait Theory is necessary to examine the concept of Cardinal Traits. Allport was a psychologist interested in studying and classifying traits to understand personality. Cardinal Traits dominate a person’s life, which sometimes lead to world changing personalities and effects.
Cardinal Trait – Introduction of Terms
As we begin to understand a Cardinal Trait, we need to define a few terms.
Personality Theory is a branch of psychology that studies personality and individual differences. Wikipedia
Personality consists of a set of characteristics that reflect the behavior or habits of a person called traits.
Traits are any term used to distinguish the behavior of one human being from another. Allport
Cardinal Trait – A basic and dominant characteristic, such as greed or ambition, which controls the behavior of many people, according to a theory developed by psychologist Gordon Allport (1936). Dictionary.com
Gordon W. AllportIn the early part of the 20th century, Gordon Allport (1897-1967) developed his trait theory of personality. Allport was a psychologist and professor and is considered one of the founder’s of this theory.
He examined Webster’s New International Dictionary (1925) and noted every term that he felt described a personality trait. His list contained over 400,000 separate terms, but in the end settled on 17,953 that could describe a person. This resulted in the development of his Trait Theory.
Gordon Allport is a trait theorist.
A trait theorist is “a psychologist interested in classifying, analyzing, and interrelating traits to understand personality.” Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior, Dennis Coon, John O. Mitterer p.395)
Allport once said of himself: When I was 10, a classmate said of me: “Aw, he swallowed a dictionary!”
Trait Theory
Trait Theory states that everyone has personality traits that are consistent with the person ’s individuality and behavior. Allport concluded that every human being possesses hundreds of traits which can be organized into three categories:
Cardinal Trait
Central Traits
Secondary Traits
Cardinal Trait
Allport states that this trait is rare because most people lack a single theme that shapes their whole lives. All actions or behaviors of an individual that exhibits the cardinal trait are defined by this personality characteristic. This becomes synonymous with the person and is identified by this trait. Most of the person’s behaviors can be traced to it. If a cardinal trait did develop, it tended to be later in a person’s life. Many historical figures can be defined this way.
Serves as person ’s dominant trait.
Shapes a person ’s sense of self, emotional make-up, attitudes, and behavior.
Dominates an individual’s complete personality.
Thought to be quite uncommon.
Controls and shapes a person’s behavior.
Ruling passions or obsessions are exhibited.
For some people, this defines their entire lives.
Examples: need for love, money, power or fame.
Historical Figures that Exhibited a Cardinal Trait
Abraham Lincoln (honest)
Ebenezer Scrooge (greed)
Joan of Arc (heroic self-sacrifice)
Mother Teresa (altruistic religious service)
Marquis de Sade (sadism)
Machiavelli (political ruthlessness)
Martin Luther King (strong sense of justice)
Hitler (intense drive for power)
Homeric (epic writer)
Don Juan (lover)
Christ-like
Central Traits
Central traits are ones that make up our personalities. Usually five to ten traits are listed for the individual. Traits such as sensitivity, friendliness, generosity, honesty, and are all examples of central traits. These are general characteristics usually found in every person, to some degree. These would be obvious traits that would be commonly know about a person and used to describe him or her. These would be easily detected to measure and compare.
Basic building blocks that shape most of our behavior.
Define our personality.
Not as overwhelming as a cardinal trait.
Most people have somewhere between five and ten of these.
Are core traits.
Although not dominant, they are inherent in most people.
They lay the foundation for our personalities and actions.
Found in some degree in every person.
Must be included to provide a complete picture of human complexity
Secondary Traits
These traits may only be present under certain circumstances or conditions. These would be characteristics or behaviors only known by close friends. They are less important and more difficult to detect. Other people may not notice these traits unless they are close acquaintances.
These are characteristics seen only in certain circumstances.
They are particular likes or dislikes that only a very close friend may know.
An example of a secondary trait would be stage fright before a public speaking event
Must be included in the study of personality to provide a complete picture of human complexity.
Preferences, attitudes, situational traits are all secondary traits.
These traits are privately held, and often only revealed in confidence or under certain conditions.
Examples could be food preferences, musical tastes, color choices, or reading selections,”likes Chinese food”, “jingles his keys when he’s nervous”, “loves to feel rain on his face”.
Cardinal Traits Summary
Gordon Allport’s Trait Theory includes the concept of Cardinal Traits. Allport feels that this trait is uncommon since this trait tends to dominate a person’s life. Everything they do, all behaviors, attitudes and actions, serve the one characteristic that is paramount in that individual’s personality. An example would be Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun that devoted her complete existence to serving the poor of Calcutta. One could describe her as being Christ-like (a cardinal trait). However, her service was so epic, her speech and example so inspiring, her name has also become used a symbolic cardinal trait. Mother Teresa herself is elevated in her example of altruism.
A Cardinal Trait, according to Allport’s theory, is rare. If it does appear as a characteristic later in a person’s life, then it must be a culmination of ones total choices, attitudes and experience.
I believe Abraham Lincoln is an example of this. He continuously failed in business law, and government. His drive and personality developed so that a cardinal trait manifested itself. Not just as Honest Abe, but as a man committed to establish freedom and keep the Union together. His singular love of truth and justice (cardinal traits?) moved him and the United States to monumental decisions and outcomes.
Current authors have seen fit to apply Trait Theory and the Cardinal Trait to the lives of shoppers, gamers and workaholics. For some, a cardinal trait may have surfaced in their personalities and may not be as rare as Allport has theorized.
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A Long
Current Applications of G.W. Allport’s Trait Theory
As I pursued research into this topic: “Cardinal Trait – Psychology”, I discovered several recent applications of Gordon Allport’s Trait Theory. These were applied to 3 diverse topics. This leads me to conclude that Allport’s theory has enduring substance, content and meaning in the contemporary setting. (At least for these researchers and authors.)
1) Shopping
The influence of cardinal-, central-, and surface-level personality traits on consumers’ bargaining and complaint intentions
(This study investigates the possibility that a limited set of basic personality traits may underlie dispositions to bargain and to complain)
Psychology & Marketing Volume18, Issue 11, pages 1155–1185, November 2001 Eric G. Harris, John C. Mowen
2) Gaming
A Methodology for Incorporating Personality Modeling in Believable Game Characters
(Trait theories introduce continuum of a characteristic rather than binary (‘have-it-or-not ’), like Allport ’s cardinal, central and secondary traits.)
http://www.sfu.ca/~vzammitt/papers/zammitto-cybergames-pp.pdf
3) Workaholism
The Long Work Hours Culture: Causes, Consequences and Choices edited by Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper (Allport cited on p. 90)
Letters from Jenny
Letters from Jenny is a collection of letters from a woman named Jenny Gove Masterson. The letters were a correspondence between her and a couple that were college friends of her son, Isabel and Glenn. Jenny reports on the relationship that she has with her son. Her feelings of anger, disappointment, and sadness with him are shared.
A sad, disturbed person, she writes the letters with pain and passion. They were not meant for publication, but the couple knew psychologist G.W. Allport and gave them to him. Permission was granted to use them if they could help someone. He discusses her letters as a case study for his personality theory. The psychologist defends his personality theory, concentrating mostly on the central traits.
The Nature of Prejudice
The Nature of Prejudice, published in 1954, Allport discusses economic, ethnic, racial, religious, and sexual prejudice. In this landmark book, he proposes solutions to the devastating effects of all forms of discrimination.
, Gordon W. Allport’s Trait Theory – Cardinal Traits – Psychology www.ozeldersin.com bitirme tezi,ödev,proje dönem ödevi