Units of the Five-Factor Theory

• The two core components

  1. basic tendencies (rectangles)
  2. characteristic adaptations (including self-concept).
• The three peripheral units (ellipses) of the model are

  1. biological bases
  2. objective biography
  3. external influences
• • McCrae and Costa’s term for the interconnectedness of central and peripheral components of personality.
  • The arrows represent this and indicate the direction of causal influence.

  dynamic processes
• biological bases are the sole cause of basic tendencies (personality traits).
• The personality system can be interpreted either cross-sectionally (how the system operates at any given point in time) or longitudinally (how we develop over the lifetime). Moreover, each causal influence is dynamic, meaning that it changes over time.
• • McCrae and Costa’s term for the universal raw material of personality.
  • are one of the central components of personality, along with characteristic adaptations, self-concept, biological bases, objective biography, and external influences.

  Basic Tendencies
• • Acquired personality structures that develop as people adapt to their environment.
  • acquired personality structures that develop as people adapt to their environment and include habits, skills, and beliefs.

  Characteristic Adaptations
• • Aspects of one’s being and experiences that an individual is consciously aware of.
  • McCrae and Costa (1996) wrote that it “consists of knowledge, views, and evaluations of the self, ranging from miscellaneous facts of personal history to the identity that gives a sense of purpose and coherence to life”.

  Self Concept
• • The Five-Factor Theory rests on a single causal influence on personality traits, namely ?.

  Biological Bases
• • All experiences of a person across the lifespan
  • emphasizes what has happened in people’s lives (objective) rather than their view or perceptions of their experiences (subjective).

  Objective Biography
• • Knowledge, views, and evaluations of the self.

  External Influences