Intro

• • A relatively permanent disposition of an individual, which is inferred page from behavior
  • general characteristics held in common by many people.
  • They can be inferred from factor analytic studies or they can be revealed by various personality inventories.
  • provide the means by which people within a given culture can be compared to one another.

  Common Traits
• • they permit researchers to study a single individual.
  • A relatively permanent neuropsychic structure peculiar to the individual, which has the capacity to render different stimuli functionally equivalent and to initiate and guide personalized forms of behavior.

  Personal Dispositions
• Personal dispositions are individual; common traits are shared by several people.
• • describe relatively stable characteristics such as “sociable” or “introverted”

  Traits
• • describe temporary characteristics such as “happy” or “angry”; others described evaluative characteristics such as “unpleasant” or “wonderful"
  • still others referred to physical characteristics such as “tall” or “obese.”

  States