series of yes & no qus - ans can identify individuals personality
2 dimensions are NOT related so individual can be identified as a stable extrovert, neurotic introvert ect
BIOLOGICAL
BIRTH - TEENAGE
BIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO STUDYING PERSONALITY LOOKS FOR BIO REASONS/ CAUSES
MOODS / HORMONES/ TEMPERAMENT
PERSONALITY DETERMINED BY BIOLOGY + TYPE DETERMINES BEHAVIOUR
3/4 OF PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS ACCOUNTED BY HEREDITY
EXIST CROSS CULTURE
Personality - Shows how people are different - RELATIVELY STABLE - CONSISTENT OVER TIME - DEVELOPS OVER LIFETIME
Studied via :
MOSTLY Nomothetic - Scientific / Quantitative
Based on Laws of Behaviour and can be generalised to everyone
STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES - QUESTIONNAIRES
Used to compare people with one another
Idiographic - Qualitative / Uniqueness
Case Studies, interviews - reflect uniqueness
Different theories = Type. Trait. Factors, Bio.
TYPE
TRAIT
BIO
FACTOR = SIMPLIFIED VERSION
Personally - Helps us make sense of ourselves and others, Professionally - lets us assess people by
groups - schemas or stereotyping- tell if suited to a job
FACTOR ANALYSIS
Aim to SUMMARISE things between variables into a smaller pattern - more generalised.
They describe the IMPORTANT DIMENSION OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
Basically A smaller number of FACTORS decribes ALL PEOPLE.. and gives greater FLEXABILITY