Personality is the organization of a person’s psychophysical systems that make up their characteristic behaviors and thoughts.

Butler University

According to Gordon Allport personality traits are the building blocks of an individual's personality and that personality develops over time and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. After finding 4,500 words in the English language that could be used to describe individuals, Allport proposed three categorize of traits: cardinal, central, and secondary.

Allport's Theory of Personality

Olson, Matthew H., et al. An Introduction to Theories of Personality. 9th ed., Pearson, 2020. 

Reference

When Allport initially met with Freud when he was a young man, he was unamused by Freud’s notion to dissect everything about every action, this is what made him move more towards a humanistic theory development.

Allport's Humanistic Reasonings

Allport's Personality Definition

It is a predisposition to respond to stimuli in a very certain and specific way in accordance with each individual.  

Allport's Definition of a Trait

Habits are the simpler and meaningless actions a person may do that are not important enough to be traits. This could be like someone’s preference to folding clothes a certain way.

Allport's Definition of a Habit

The key item to hold all traits together is called “The Proprium.” It is also defined as the “real self” in Allport’s theory. There are different stages of development of the Proprium.

The Proprium

-	Widely extended sense of self
-	Warm relating of self to others
-	Emotional security
-	Realistic perception, skills, and assignments
-	Capable of self-objectification
-	A unifying philosophy of life


Allport’s Characteristics of a Mature Person

Based on the provided description of an individual named Alex, analyze their personality by identifying one example of a cardinal trait, one example of a central trait, and one example of a secondary trait. For each trait you identify, briefly explain your reasoning for placing it in that specific category.

Analysis of Personality Traits

Read the following description of an individual's personality. Identify one cardinal trait, one central trait, and one secondary trait exhibited by this person. For each trait you identify, provide a brief justification explaining why it fits into that specific category based on the information given.

Description: Elena has dedicated her entire life to animal welfare. She founded a non-profit animal rescue, lobbies for animal rights legislation, and lives a vegan lifestyle. Her friends would describe her as a generally compassionate and determined person. However, they also note that she becomes extremely anxious before public speaking engagements and is very particular about how her kitchen is organized.

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