Personality III: Trait Theory
Another week, another theory of personality: Trait Theory. Similar to last two weeks’ theories, trait theory believes our personality is the result of interactions between multiple elements. But before I go on, I want to make sure you know what I mean by the word trait. According to Hans Eysenck, a trait is a relatively stable, enduring predisposition to consistently behave in a certain way. There are several theories within this school of thought and all of them view these two dyads as essential to personality: neuroticism-calmness and introversion-extroversion.
The diagram below shows Eysenck’s Three Factor Theory.
The take home message from all of the Trait theories is that some aspects of a person’s personality are stable, they do not change. Others will sway based on age, environment, or other factors.
So, what does this mean for a writer? When you are developing your characters, take a moment (or two or ten) to consider what traits are innate, stable. If you have a loud-mouthed, take charge person, turn passive buy the end of the book…I won’t by it. Yes, such a person can have life experiences that calm them…but those extroverted traits will still shine. However, they will appear in a more diplomatic manner.
Do you agree with the placement of traits on the diagram above? What traits are not mentioned?