Correct Answer - Option 1 : Personality is a dynamic organization, inside the person, of psychophysical systems that create the person's characteristic patterns of behavior, thoughts and feelings.
Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psycho-physical systems that determine his unique adjustment to his environment. (G.W. Allport)
Allport considered the structure of personality into three parts, viz., (i) definition of personality,(ii) personality traits, and (iii) Proprium.
Traits or Dispositions
According to Allport traits constitute the basic unit of an individual’s personality. He defined traits as the predisposition to respond and react in the same or similar manner to stimuli in the environment. According to him, there are two types of traits
- Common traits
- Personal traits
Some of the important characteristics of traits are as given below:
- Traits are not theoretical structures or constructs but are real and found within the individual.
- Traits guide and direct behaviour and enable the individual to behave in a particular manner.
- Traits are verified empirically.
-
Common Traits: Common traits can be considered abstractions that reflect social values and social mores. These traits originate from social pressure on members to behave in a particular manner. Allport did not attach much importance to common traits as they are only surface manifestations.
-
Personal Traits: In his own words, Allport defined this personal disposition as “a generalized neuropsychic structure, unique to the individual, with the capacity to render many stimuli functionally equivalent, and to initiate and guide consistent or equivalent forms of adaptive and stylistic behavior.”
