Factor-Analytic Trait Theories: Raymond Cattell, the Big Five Model Module Tag PSY P5 M3

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Paper No and Title Paper No 5: Personality Theories

Module No and Title Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model Module Tag PSY_P5_M3

Table of Contents 1. Learning Outcomes 2. Introduction 3. Raymond Cattell and his Approach to Personality 3.1 Biographical Account 3.2 Cattell’s Approach to Personality 3.3 Assessment in Cattell’s Theory 4. The Big Five Model 4.1 Robert R. McCrae and Paul T. Costa, Jr.: Biographical Accounts 4.2 Searching for the Big Five 4.3 Five-Factor Theory: Units 5. Evaluative Comments 6. Summary

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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1. Learning Outcomes After studying this module, you shall be able to  Reflect on Factor Analytic Theories and Factor Analysis  Review the Cattellian Approach to Personality  Review the Big Five Model of Personality  Evaluate Factor Analytic Theories  2. Introduction Nomothetic trait models are obligated to Raymond Cattell, an eloquent proponent that key attributes of personality can be illustrated by discrete dimensions. Cattell’s theory of personality is inseparably connected to quantitative measurement models based on factor analysis of personality data through questionnaire responses and other sources. While Costa and McCrae attempted to stimulate the majestic proposal of Cattell’s idea- an empirical model of traits encompassing gamut of personality. Their Big Five model was focused on depiction of personality, not causes of personality. To study problems with multiple variables, Cattell stressed a great deal on the statistical tool of factor analysis which is used to segregate larger group of observed, interrelated variables to find out a limited number of underlying factors. Cattell used mainly the R and P technique of factor analysis. R technique, being the most common form, usually entails providing big groups of research participants varied personality tests & then inter-correlating their scores. The idea is to start with a huge number of surface variables (surface traits) and then to decrease them to fewer common source factors (source traits) which can predict the variation in surface-variable measures. Strongly inter-correlated variables are said to be measuring similar unit or factor. The investigators find it most difficult to label these factors and considerable skill and care is exercised in the labelling process as it has implications for theory and research. Once the inter- correlations have been computed, further factor-analytic calculations are used to get a factor matrix of factor loadings (degree of association between surface variable & its underlying factor). Once the tentative identification of factors is done, researchers usually attempt to use other samples (age, ethnic background) for cross validation and also place more tests into the analysis to discern new variables loading significantly on the same factor. P technique is intended to determine the unique trait structure of a particular person (Cattell, 1961, 1965). By testing the individual over and over again over a period of time on a number of personality traits and Cattell used it to appraise the alterations in individual motivations.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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3. Raymond Cattell and his Approach to Personality 3.1 Biographical Account Raymond Bernard Cattell born in Hilltop, England, on March 20, 1905 as the second born to a mechanical engineer father. Cattell was an exceptional student winning scholarship to University of London. In 1924, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree with first-class honours in chemistry from Kings College. Soon his interests became more social & he dazed his well wishers by switching to the dubious subject of psychology. “My laboratory bench began to seem small, and the world’s problems vast. I concluded that to get beyond human irrationalities, I had to study the workings of the mind itself” (Cattell, 1974, p. 64). Cattell received his doctorate under Charles Spearman of the factor analysis fame from University of London in 1929. Cattell married thrice: an artist, Monica Campbell from 1930 to 1938 (one son); from 1946 to 1980 to a mathematician, Alberta Schuettler with whom he published numerous tests and articles and had three daughters and a son; and finally to a clinical psychologist, Heather Birkett. Cattell arrived in United States to work at Columbia University in 1937. Soon afterwards he shifted to Clark University in Massachusetts, and followed by Harvard. In 1945, he finally honoured a research professorship at University of Illinois and founded the Laboratory of Personality Assessment and stayed as director for 27 years. In 1978, he relocated to teach at the University of Hawaii. As one of the most ingenious personality theorists, Cattell’s writings comprise of hundreds of journal articles and around 56 books. Cattell’s honours include the New York Academy of Sciences’ Wenner–Gren Prize & Gold Medal Award for Life Achievement in Psychological Science from American Psychological Foundation. On February 2, 1998, Raymond Cattell passed away in Honolulu, Hawaii.

3.2 Cattell’s Approach to Personality

3.2.1 Personality Traits

Cattell described traits as relatively permanent reaction tendencies serving the basic structural units of the personality. He classified traits in several ways. Table 1: Cattell’s Classification of Traits Types of Concept Example Traits Common trait possessed by everyone to some Intelligence, degree, a few persons possess them to a larger Extraversion degree in comparison to others as all persons Gregariousness Common have a comparable hereditary potential and are and subjected to like socio cultural norms and Unique Traits pressures. Unique traits are those facets of personality Interest in Cricket or shared by only some of the other people. football. Interest in Unique traits are mainly evident in our attitudes history or philately.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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& interests.

Ability traits establish how well one is able to Intelligence level move toward a purpose. affects the way we Ability, endeavour for our Temperament goals. , Temperament traits depict the common mode Being Assertive, easy- and and affective tenor of our behaviour These going, or irritable Dynamic traits shape the ways we react & act in Traits situations. Dynamic traits are the motivating forces of behaviour. They characterize our interests, motivations & ambitions. Surface traits are personality descriptions that Elements like associate with one another but do not compose indecisiveness, a factor as they are not caused by a lone source. anxiety, unreasonable As surface traits are made up of numerous fear etc. coalesce to elements, they are less firm and enduring, shape the surface trait Surface and therefore less significant in unfolding labelled neuroticism. Source Traits personality. (steadiness and Of larger weight are source traits that are permanence) unitary personality factors which are much more steady and enduring. Each source trait affects some facet of behaviour. Source traits obtained from factor analysis as individual factors combining to report for surface traits. Constitutional traits initiate in biological Alcohol intake leading environment but are not necessarily inborn. to behaviours like Factor analysis would point to these carelessness, Constitutional characteristics being source traits. talkativeness, slurred and speech. Environmenta Environmental-mold traits are learnt qualities Difference in l-Mold Traits & behaviours imposing a blueprint on behaviour of military (Source Traits personality that develop from influences in our officer and jazz classified on physical social environments. musician. their origin) Difference in behaviour of people of different cultures.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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3.2.2 The Motivating Forces: Dynamic Traits

Cattell portrayed dynamic traits as traits associated with motivation. He supposed that a personality theory is incomplete if it fails to consider the impact of dynamic motivating forces. It is akin to describing an engine but failing to cite the kind of fuel required. 2 kinds of dynamic, motivating traits: ergs and sentiments were proposed.

 Ergs and Sentiments: The phrase erg originates from Greek ergon referring to work or energy. Cattell utilized erg to indicate the notion of drive or instinct. Ergs are the driving force or intrinsic energy source for behaviours, the fundamental units of motivation steering us toward specific goals. 11 ergs being constitutional traits were identified

Self- Anger Security Curiosity Sex Protection assertion Gregariousness Appeal Hunger Self-submission Disgust

Sentiments are environmental-mold source traits as they originate from outer physical social influences, patterns of learnt attitudes focusing on important facets of life like person’s occupation, community, religion, spouse or hobby. Both of these stimulate behaviour, but are different as an erg being a constitutional trait is a permanent personality structure which may fortify or deteriorate but it cannot vanish. A sentiment being a result of learning can fade away by unlearning such it becomes insignificant to an individual’s life.

Attitude (learned) Possible Sentiments Erg (innate) (learned) •Desire that danger of •Favour funding of •Security death is reduced research in medicine •Support ban on Drunk Driving

 Attitudes: Cattell described attitudes as our concerns, feelings and behaviours toward some object, person or event. Cattell’s definition encompasses all our emotions and actions toward situation or object. Cattell used three methods to measure attitudes: self- reports & questionnaires in which participants are asked to express themselves (Q data); written & other tests (T data) and examining life records like employer’s ratings, academic report cards (L data).  Subsidiation: Dynamic traits of ergs & sentiments are related to attitudes through the idea of subsidiation that means within the personality a few constituents are subordinate to other constituents. Attitudes are auxiliary to sentiments; sentiments are secondary to ergs. Cattell drew these relationships in an illustration of dynamic lattice. PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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 Self-Sentiment: The master sentiment or self- sentiment organizes the pattern of sentiments for a person, and acts as the self-concept providing constancy, consistency and organization to source traits and aids expression of ergs & sentiments. Self – sentiment develops completely last and adds to the gratification of the dynamic traits & thus reins all structures in personality.

3.2.3 Source Traits: The Basic Factors of Personality

After nearly 3 decades of rigorous factor-analytic research, Cattell (1965) identified sixteen source traits as the essential factors of personality. These factors are well-known in the shape of Sixteen Personality Factor (16 PF) Questionnaire, an objective personality test. Cattell presented the traits in bipolar form.

Table 2: Source Traits as presented in the 16 PF questionnaire Fact Characteristics of Individual Characteristics of Individual Factor Name or having Low Score having High Score Affectia–Sizia Sizia: Detached, reserved, aloof Affectia: Warm-hearted, easy- A (Warmth) critical, going, outgoing, B Intelligence Low: Dull High: Bright Low Ego Strength: Emotionally High Ego Strength: Emotionally C Ego Strength unsteady, easily upset steady, realistic, composed Dominance– Submissiveness: Humble, Dominance: Assertive, obstinate, E Submissiveness accommodating, docile competitive Surgency–Desurgency Desurgency: Sober, serious, Surgency: Happy-go-lucky, F (Liveliness) reticent fervent Superego Strength Weak Superego: ignores rules, Strong Superego: Meticulous, G (Rule Consciousness) Expedient moralistic Parmia–Threctia H Threctia: timid, shy Parmia: adventurous, bold (Social Boldness) Premsia–Harria Harria: self-reliant, tough- Premsia: clinging, sensitive, I (Sensitivity) minded, tender-minded Protension–Alaxia Protension: Suspicious, projects L Alaxia: Trusting, accepting (Vigilance) anger Autia–Praxernia Praxernia: Pragmatic, down-to- M Autia: Imaginative, preoccupied (Abstractedness) earth Shrewdness– Artlessness: Forthright, authentic, Shrewdness: shrewd, socially N Artlessness socially clumsy aware (Privateness) Guilt Proneness– Untroubled Adequacy: Secure, Guilt Proneness: hesitant, self- O Untroubled Adequacy self-assured, tranquil reproaching (Apprehension) Radicalism– Conservatism of Temperament: Radicalism: Experimenting, Q1 Conservatism Conservative, traditional thinking flexible, open (Openness to Change) Self-Sufficiency– Group Adherence: Complies with Self-Sufficiency: ingenious, self- Q2 Group Adherence a joined group reliant (Self-Reliance) PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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Self–Sentiment Low Self-Sentiment Integration: High Strength of Self-Sentiment: Q3 Strength Lax, brash guarded, obsessive (Perfectionism) Ergic Tension Low Ergic Tension: unperturbed, High Ergic Tension: stressed, Q 4 (Tension) tranquil, poised perturbed, determined

Cattell also recognized supplementary factors he labelled as temperament traits as they relate to the broad manner & affective tenor of behaviour. He provided excitability, gusto, self-will, civility & poise as examples (Cattell, 1973). In Cattell’s scheme, source traits are fundamental elements of personality like atoms are essential units of the physical world. He believed that psychologists cannot comprehend/ create laws on personality lacking descriptions of specifically the nature of these rudiments.

3.3 Assessment in Cattell’s Theory

Cattell’s measured personality through 3 assessment methods namely L-data (life records), Q- data (questionnaires) & T-data (tests).  Life records (L-data). The L-data method entails ratings of specific behaviours of people in actual settings like an office or classroom by observers. For instance, observers may document occurrence of nonattendance from work, assiduousness in performing job, friendliness in office, marks at school or emotional stability on the football field. L-data only involves overt behaviours, occurring in a naturalistic site, visible to observer rather than in simulated laboratory situation.  Questionnaires (Q-data). The Q-data procedure is based on questionnaires where participants rate themselves. Cattell accepted limitations of Q-data, participants may have only shallow self-awareness hence their answers do not echo their personality’s true nature. Even if research participants do know themselves well enough, they may not desire for others to know them. Thus, they may intentionally rig their answers. Cattell cautioned that Q-data should not automatically believed to be true.  Personality tests (T-data). The T-data method entails using “objective” tests where a person responds lacking knowledge of what behavioural aspect is being appraised. Personality tests evade the limitations of Q data by making it tricky for a participant to discern exactly what a test is assessing. If one cannot speculate what the researcher is trying to discover, then one cannot distort answers for concealment. For instance, if shown an inkblot, one wouldn’t be able to guess whether the researcher’s interpretation of answer exposed conformist, unperturbed, audacious or hesitant traits. Cattell considered tests like word association test Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test to be objective as they are difficult to fake. Cattell developed numerous personality assessment tests. 16 PF, translated into 40 languages, based on the 16 major source traits is most extensively used for assessing personality for forecasting occupational success, clinical diagnosis and research. The test can be used with 16 years & above participants and gives scores on each of the 16 scales through objective scoring as well as computerized scoring and interpretation are on hand. He developed quite a few variations of 16 PF Test like for use with children and adolescents. Scales have been prepared to assess definite facets of personality like depression, anxiety & neuroticism & for unique purposes like marriage counselling & performance appraisal of business executives. PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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4. The Big Five Model 4.1 Robert R. McCrae and Paul T. Costa, Jr.: Biographies

Robert Roger McCrae, born April 28, 1949 in Maryville, Missouri, had an ardent interest in mathematics & science. On entering Michigan State University, he chose philosophy. After finishing his undergraduate degree, he got into Boston University majoring in psychology. McCrae was fascinated by the Raymond Cattell’s psychometric work and was curious to use factor analysis to explore an uncomplicated way for discovering the structural traits present in dictionary. At the University, Henry Weinberg, a clinical psychologist was McCrae’s major professor but he had only a tangential curiosity in traits of personality. Many psychologists of this era believed that traits were only cognitive fictions, response sets or stereotypes. McCrae’s work on traits was a quite forlorn endeavour, being conducted inaudibly and without salutation. In 1975, four years into his doctorate program, McCrae’s destiny changed when he was sent by his mentor to work as a research assistant at the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic in Boston on James Fozard’s Normative Aging Study. Fozard then referred McCrae to Paul T. Costa Jr., a personality psychologist in University of Massachusetts. In 1976, Costa hired him as project director & co-principal investigator for his Smoking & Personality Grant after McCrae finished his doctorate. National Institute on Aging’s Gerontology Research Center in Baltimore hired Costa as the chief of the division on stress & coping and McCrae as senior staff fellow and owing to big datasets of adults at their disposal they investigated the enquiry of how personality is structured. Paul T. Costa, Jr. born September 16, 1942 in Franklin, New Hampshire to Esther Vasil Costa & Paul T. Costa, Sr., earned his undergraduate psychology degree (1964) at Clark University. At University of Chicago he received his masters (1968) as well as (1970) in human development. At the University of Chicago, he worked and published with Salvatore R. Maddi (1972) on humanistic personality theory. After receiving his doctorate, he taught for 2 years at Harvard & then till 1978 at University of Massachusetts. In 1978, he began working at the National Institute of Aging’s Gerontology Research Center as the chief for the division on Stress and Coping. In 1985, he assumed headship for the Laboratory of Personality & Cognition and also became president of American Psychological Association’s Division 20 (Adult Development & Ageing). With the conception of traits being almost a taboo subject, Costa and McCrae conducted work on traits that ensured them a major role in the 40-year narration of analysing the structure of personality. The alliance between McCrae & Costa has been extraordinarily fertile, with over 200 co-authored articles & chapters & several books like Emerging Lives, Enduring Dispositions (McCrae & Costa, 1984), Personality in Adulthood: A Five-Factor Theory Perspective, 2nd ed. (McCrae & Costa, 2003) and Revised NEO Personality Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992).

4.2 Searching for the Big Five

The tradition of studying traits began by Odbert &Allport in the decade of 1930s, sustained by Cattell in the decade of 1940s and in the 1960s by Christal, Norman &Tupes. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, factor researchers like Costa and McCrae built detailed classifications of PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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personality traits, but they did not use these taxonomies to create testable hypotheses. Instead, they simply used factor analytic techniques to inspect personality’s organization and stability. Costa & McCrae originally concentrated on the dimensions of neuroticism and extraversion. Nearly instantaneously after discovery of N and E, McCrae & Costa uncovered a third factor - openness to experience. Most of Costa & McCrae’s early work remained focused on these 3 dimensions (McCrae, Fozard, Costa, & Bosse, 1976). Even though Lewis Goldberg (1981) had used the term “Big Five” to illustrate regular findings of factor analysis of personality traits, Costa & McCrae continued to work on 3 factors.

4.2.1 Quest for Five Factors completed

Even in 1983, McCrae & Costa continued to argue for a three-factor model of personality. It was only in 1985 that they reported findings of 5 factors of personality. This work gave rise to a new five-factor personality inventory: the NEOPI (McCrae &Costa, 1985). The NEO-PI was a modification of an unpublished personality inventory measuring only Neuroticism, Extraversion & Openness to experience. In this inventory, the last 2 dimensions—agreeableness and conscientiousness— were still the least well-developed with no subscales and they did not fully develop the Agreeableness and Conscientiousness scales till the Revised NEO-PI appeared in 1992. Throughout the 1980s, Costa & McCrae continued their journey of factor analysing major personality inventories like Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (Myers, 1962) and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (H. Eysenck & S. Eysenck, 1975, 1993). For illustration, in an assessment of their model with Eysenck’s, inventory, McCrae & Costa accounted that Eysenck’s first 2 factors (N & E) are entirely consistent with their first 2 factors. While Eysenck’s measure of psychoticism tapped into the lower ends of agreeableness & conscientiousness, it did not tap into openness. Then, there were 2 main concerns in personality research. Firstly, how can a common language emerge in the light of hundreds of different scales and dozens of different personality inventories? Everyone seemed to have a peculiar set of variables describing personality, making evaluations and development difficult. Secondly, what is structure of personality? Cattell argued for sixteen factors, Eysenck for three while others were arguing for 5. The key accomplishment of the Five- Factor Model (FFM) was providing answers to these 2 questions. Ever since late 1980s & early 1990s, most personality psychologists have decided on the Five- Factor Model (Digman, 1990; John & Srivastava, 1999). 5 factors have been seen across a range of cultures, using different languages (McCrae & Allik, 2002). McCrae & Costa (2003) also reported that the 5 factors illustrate some permanence with age i.e. adults tend to maintain the same personality structure as they grow older.

4.2.2 Five Factors: Description

Costa & McCrae were in agreement with Eysenck on bipolarity of personality traits falling onto a bell-shaped distribution suggesting only a few people scoring at the extremes and most people score near the middle of each trait. But how can people at the extremes be portrayed? Collectively five-factor model was made up by these dimensions of the “Big Five” personality.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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Table 3: The Five Factor Model: What do High & Low Scores mean? High Scores Low Scores Affectionate Joiner Talkative Reserved Quiet Passive Extraversion Active Passionate Fun loving Loner Sober Unfeeling Anxious Self-pitying Emotional Calm Self-satisfied Unemotional Neuroticism Self- Even- Temperamental Vulnerable Comfortable Hardy conscious tempered Imaginative Original Curious Down-to-earth Conventional Uncurious Openness Prefers Prefers routine Creative Liberal Uncreative Conservative variety Softhearted Generous Lenient Ruthless Stingy Critical Agreeableness Good- Trusting Acquiescent Suspicious Antagonistic Irritable natured Well- Conscientiousnes Conscientious Ambitious Negligent Disorganized Aimless organized s Hardworking Punctual Persevering Lazy Late Quitting

4.2.3 Five-Factor Theory: Evolution

Initially, 5 factors comprised of nothing more than classification of central personality traits. By the late 1980s, McCrae & Costa were confident that a stable structure of personality had been found. The field now had a universally agreed-on language for unfolding personality in 5 dimensions. Recounting personality traits is not the same as explaining them which requires theory. McCrae & Costa (1996) objected to old theories as they relied a great deal on armchair speculation & clinical experiences. By the 1980s, the split among established theories & contemporary research-based theories had become fairly prominent. It was felt that the old theories cannot be just abandoned but must be substituted by a new theories growing out of the past conceptual insights & the contemporary empirical findings. According to Costa & McCrae (1999) a theory of personality is constituted by neither the model nor the body of research but by findings organized to tell a lucid narrative focusing on issues and phenomena of interest and importance. Costa & McCrae (1996) assured that the time had come to make sense of the facts about personality. Five-Factor Model (taxonomy) was to be turned into a Five-Factor Theory (FFT).

4.3 Five-Factor Theory: Units

Costa & McCrae’s theory (1996, 1999, 2003) predicts behaviour by making sense of 3 core central components and 3 peripheral components.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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4.3.1 Core Components of Personality The core central components are signified by rectangles, while peripheral components are signified by ellipses. The arrows symbolize dynamic processes & show track of causal influence. For instance, life experiences or objective biography is product of characteristic adaptations & external influences. Biological grounds are the only reason of personality traits or fundamental tendencies. Personality system could be understood either in longitudinal fashion i.e. development over lifetime or in a cross-sectional fashion i.e. operation of system at a given point in time. Additionally, every causal influence changes over time & is dynamic.  Basic Tendencies: Universal raw matter of personality competences and character usually inferred than observed defining individual’s potential & direction. These may be innate, affected by experiences early in life or psychological intrusion or disease. These tendencies consist of artistic talent, cognitive abilities, the processes underlying acquisition of language and sexual orientation. The basic tendencies’ fundamental nature is stable across time & situation and has biological basis. The postulates for Basic Tendencies are: 1. Individuality postulate specifies adults have an exclusive collection of traits exhibiting in unique trait pattern combination. Exact amount of extraversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, openness, & conscientiousness is distinctive in us and our distinctiveness is a result of genotype variability. 2. Origin postulate has a comprehensible but contentious stand. All traits of personality are the result of exclusively internal or endogenous forces like brain structures, hormones and genetics. Familial environment does not contribute to these tendencies. 3. Development postulate presumes traits as developing and varying during childhood, however slow development in adolescence and by age 30 i.e. early to middle adulthood, alterations stop (Costa & McCrae, 1994). 4. Structure postulate suggests traits are ordered in hierarchy from specific & narrow to general & broad like Eysenck (1990) suggested.  Characteristic Adaptations: Attained personality structures developing as people acclimatize to their environments. These may be affected by outside influences like acquired skills, relationships attitudes & habits that result from the transactions with environment. All attained & definite skills like the French language or mathematics are characteristic adaptations. Resonating Allport these are called adaptations as are shaped to be reactions to what the situation has to offer at a certain moment and allow us to ‘fit in’ on an ongoing basis. These differ culturally. For example, expressing anger in front of a senior is more of a taboo in Japan than in United States. Differentiating between stable tendencies & changing adaptations is vital as it explains personality’s stability as well as its plasticity. The postulates for Characteristic Adaptations are: 1. In due course, people acclimatize to their settings by attaining behavioural, emotive and cognitive prototypes consistent with their earlier adaptations and personality traits (Costa & McCrae, 2003). For example, an introverted person joins a reading club, while an assertive person becomes a business executive.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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2. Maladjustment proposes that our responses are sometimes inconsistent with cultural values or personal goals. For instance, when introversion is severe, it might result in pathological social shyness preventing people from holding a job or going out of their homes. These competencies, attitudes and habits sometimes can become so inflexible or obsessive that they develop maladaptive. 3. Plasticity Postulate proposes that these adaptations are not stable due to alteration over time in reaction to biological maturation, environmental changes or intentional interventions. For instance, interventions like behaviour modification therapies may not change fundamental traits of persons, but they may be compelling enough to change the characteristic responses.  Self-Concept: important characteristic adaptation that consists of knowledge, viewpoints and appraisals of self, from sundry personal history facts to the identity that gives a sense of purpose and coherence to life. Personal myths as part of a person’s self-concept (McCrae and Costa, 2003). The beliefs, attitudes & feelings one has toward oneself influences how one behaves in a given circumstance. For instance, believing that one is an bright person makes one more agreeable to put oneself into intellectually challenging situations. 4.3.2 Peripheral Components  Biological Bases: This theory believes that biology is the solo contributory influence on traits. Brain structures, genes and hormones are the principal biological mechanisms. This positing of biological bases abolishes the role of environment in the basic tendencies’ formation. The environment has some influence on components of personality.  Objective Biography: “Everything the person feels, think or does across the whole lifespan” (Costa &McCrae, 2003). Objective biography gives emphasis to what has actually happened in persons’ lives (objective) than their subjective experiences’ perceptions. Every conduct or reaction becomes unit of the total record.  External Influences: People continually find themselves in certain physical social situations that have little influence on the personality system and how we react to the opportunities & demands of the situation are external influences. Costa and McCrae (1999, 2003) contend that these reactions are a function of 2 entities: (i) characteristic adaptations & (ii) interaction w(ith external influences.

5. Evaluative Comments

While factor analysis is an important tool for simplification of big correlation matrices, its ability for hypothesis testing & reaching elemental truths were debatable. In spite of Cattell’s justifiable assertion that factor analysis is objective, exact method, reviewers make a note that the chance subsists for subjectivity to influence the result and therefore critics discard Cattell’s argument that he revealed essential elements of personality and see his findings cautiously (Anastasi, 1976). Regrettably, Cattell’s writings are by far difficult to pursue because of their mathematical, neologistic nature. His constructs and nomenclature have not been widely accepted. His motivational model of ergic tension is in essence analogous to criticized concept of drive or instinct reduction. He has been acclaimed for grounding his theoretical framework in empirical research instead of subjective conjecture. His far-reaching investigation has encompassed an assortment of measurement techniques, multi domain inquiries across cultures & nationalities.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model

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Cattellian factors present valuable researched components for description and study of the human personality. Critics refer to limitations to the scope of Big Five as an analytical explanatory theory and argue that the Big Five fails to elucidate all of human personality. The method of factor analysis to recognize dimensional configuration of personality traits is repeatedly disputed for not having a universally-recognized basis for choosing amongst solutions with varied factors. The model is inappropriate for studying early childhood. Further the Big Five is not theory-driven, it is purely a data-driven examination of some descriptors that tend to cluster together under factor analysis. Dan McAdams called the Big Five a "psychology of the stranger," because they talk of traits that are fairly effortless to detect in a stranger; all other facets of personality more context-dependent or privately held are debarred from Big Five. But still at present, the Big Five model controls the landscape of personality research.

6. Summary

 Cattell characterized traits, the basic structural units of personality as somewhat permanent reaction tendencies. He categorized traits as common & unique, dynamic, temperament & ability traits, surface & source traits - constitutional & environmental- mold traits.  Human behaviour is keyed up and engaged in explicit goals by dynamic traits including 11 inborn ergs, several learnt sentiments and attitudes. Basic aim is to decrease the tension produced by an activated intrinsic need (erg). Attitudes & sentiments serve the objectives of the ergs, with human motivation involving a complicated dynamic lattice of interconnected erg–sentiment–attitude chains.  Cattell identified 16 source traits as the fundamental factors of personality and are presented in the 16 PF, a popular personality inventory. Cattell used three different sources of data – L data or life record of person coming from observations made by others; Q data based on questionnaires and T data obtained from objective tests.  “Big Five” theory highlights 5 traits that constantly emerge from factor-analytic studies: neuroticism, introversion–extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience and conscientiousness.  Behaviour is envisaged as combination of 3 core central components (basic tendencies, self-concept & characteristic adaptations) & 3 peripheral components (objective biography, external influences & biological bases).  Costa and McCrae suggest that traits of personality follow a bell-shaped distribution and display bipolarity. These traits stay surprisingly unswerving during adulthood and have diverse practical applications.

PSYCHOLOGY Paper No 5: Personality Theories Module No 3: Factor-analytic trait theories: Raymond Cattell, The Big Five Model