Notes: Cattell's Trait Theory | Child Development and Pedagogy for CTET Preparation - CTET & State TET PDF Download

Introduction

• People have long struggled to understand personality, and numerous theories have been developed to explain how personality develops and how it influences behavior. One such theory was proposed by psychologist Raymond Cattell. He created a taxonomy of 16 different personality traits that could be used to describe and explain individual differences between people's personalities.
• Cattell's personality factors are included in the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) that is widely used today for career counseling in education. In business, it is used in personnel selection, especially for choosing managers. It is also used in clinical diagnosis and to plan therapy by assessing anxiety, adjustment, and behavioral problems.

Raymond Cattell

• Born in 1905, Cattell witnessed the advent of many 20th-century inventions such as electricity, telephones, cars, and airplanes. He was inspired by these innovations and was eager to apply the scientific methods used to make such discoveries to the human mind and personality.
• Personality, he believed, was not just some unknowable and untestable mystery. It was something that could be studied and organized. Through scientific study, human characteristics and behaviors could be predicted based on underlying personality traits.
• Cattell worked with psychologist Charles Spearman, who was known for his pioneering work in statistics. Cattell would later use the factor analysis techniques developed by Spearman to create his own personality taxonomy.

The Trait Approach to Personality

• Psychologists have long debated exactly how personality should be defined and described. One of these key ideas is known as the trait theory of personality. According to trait theory, human personality is composed of a number of broad traits or dispositions.
• Some of the earliest of these trait theories attempted to describe every single trait that might possibly exist. For example, psychologist Gordon Allport identified more than 4,000 words in the English language that could be used to describe personality traits.
• While this approach was good at identifying different types of traits, it is unwieldy and difficult to use. Many of these traits, for example, are highly similar, making it difficult to distinguish some traits from others. Such ambiguity also makes it difficult to study these personality traits.

The 16 Personality Factors

Raymond Cattell analyzed Allport's list and whittled it down to 171 characteristics, mostly by eliminating terms that were redundant or uncommon. He then used a statistical technique known as factor analysis to identify traits that are related to one another. With this method, he was able to whittle his list to 16 key personality factors.

According to Cattell, there is a continuum of personality traits. In other words, each person contains all of these 16 traits to a certain degree, but they might be high in some traits and low in others.

The following personality trait list describes some of the descriptive terms used for each of the 16 personality dimensions described by Cattell.

1. Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practical
2. Apprehension: Worried versus confident
3. Dominance: Forceful versus submissive
4. Emotional stability: Calm versus high-strung
5. Liveliness: Spontaneous versus restrained
6. Openness to change: Flexible versus attached to the familiar
7. Perfectionism: Controlled versus undisciplined
8. Privateness: Discreet versus open
9. Reasoning: Abstract versus concrete
10. Rule-consciousness: Conforming versus non-conforming
11. Self-reliance: Self-sufficient versus dependent
12. Sensitivity: Tender-hearted versus tough-minded
13. Social boldness: Uninhibited versus shy
14. Tension: Inpatient versus relaxed
15. Vigilance: Suspicious versus trusting
16. Warmth: Outgoing versus reserved

The 16PF Personality Questionnaire

• Cattell developed an assessment based on these 16 personality factors. The test is known as the 16PF Personality Questionnaire and is still frequently used today, especially in career counseling, marital counseling, and in business for employee testing and selection.
• The test is composed of forced-choice questions in which the respondent must choose one of three different alternatives. Personality traits are then represented by a range and the individual's score falls somewhere on the continuum between highest and lowest extremes.
• The scores can be interpreted using a number of different systems, depending upon why the test is being used. Some interpretive reports take a clinical approach looking at personality, while others are more focused on topics such as career selection, teamwork development, and leadership potential.

A number of studies have supported the test's validity, including its use in career development and personality assessment.

• A free version of the 16PF Questionnaire is available online through the Open-Source Psychometrics Project. The test is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional advice or medical diagnosis. Talk to a mental health provider or career testing service to have a professional administer the test and interpret your results.