AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Gordon Willard Allport (November 11, 1897 – October 9, 1967) was an American psychologist. Allport was one of the first psychologists to focus on the study of the personality, and is often referred to as one of the founding figures of personality psychology.

Detailed explanation-2: -Gordon Allport, in full Gordon Willard Allport, (born November 11, 1897, Montezuma, Indiana, U.S.-died October 9, 1967, Cambridge, Massachusetts), American psychologist and educator who developed an original theory of personality.

Detailed explanation-3: -Allport created a highly influential three-tiered hierarchy of personality traits, consisting of: Cardinal traits: Rare, but strongly deterministic of behavior. Central traits: Present to varying degrees in all people. Central traits influence, but do not determine, an individual’s behavior.

Detailed explanation-4: -Gordon Allport was a psychologist who laid the foundations of personality psychology. His theory is considered one of the first humanist theories because it conceives man as an autonomous being with free will. Allport argued that instincts and impulses aren’t the only things that motivate human beings.

Detailed explanation-5: -According to Allport, an individual’s personality is influenced by their childhood experiences, present environment, and the interaction between the two concepts; this was a groundbreaking hypothesis.