AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Gordon Allport was one of the first researchers to come up with a trait theory. His main idea was that personality came about like a series of building blocks; referred to here, of course, as traits. He further believed that personality was biologically determined but could be shaped by someone’s environment.

Detailed explanation-2: -A cardinal trait is one that dominates your entire personality, and hence your life-such as Ebenezer Scrooge’s greed and Mother Theresa’s altruism. Cardinal traits are not very common: Few people have personalities dominated by a single trait. Instead, our personalities typically are composed of multiple traits.

Detailed explanation-3: -Examples of central traits could be kindness, honesty, or friendliness. Secondary Traits are characteristics that surface only in certain situations. Some examples could be shyness, irritability, or anxiety.

Detailed explanation-4: -For Allport, cardinal traits dominate and shape a person’s behavior. Central traits are characteristics found to some degree in every person. Secondary traits are only seen in particular circumstances (such as the snappy remark mentioned earlier).