These are the general characteristics that form the basic foundations of personality. These central traits, while not as dominating as cardinal traits, are the major characteristics you might use to describe another person. Terms such as intelligent, honest,shy and anxious are considered central traits.
CARDINAL TRAITS
Annotations:
Traits that dominate an individual’s whole life, often to the point that the person becomes known specifically for these traits.
He had lots of questions and
trawled through dictionaries
SECONDARY TRAITS
Annotations:
These are the traits that are sometimes related to attitudes or preferences and often appear only in certain situations or under specific circumstances. Some examples would be getting anxious when speaking to a group or impatient while waiting in line.