For
dispositional perspective
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Provides useful, practical descriptions and assessment tools for
personality
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Several researchers, using different approaches, coincide in similar
views
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Personality traits useful for research purposes
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Allows comparison of individual differences & provides an objective,
scientific approach
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There is evidence of cross-situational consistency in behavior which
can, at least partly, be predicted by personality. Personality is
one of the most useful pieces of psychological information, hence
personality is widely tested in clinical situations, schooling and
career advising, personnel selection, staff training, as for personal
interest and curiosity.
Against dispositional perspective
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Doesn’t explain how or why personality works: naming a phenomenon
doesn’t explain it
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Little explanation for origins of traits: with the exception of Eysenck
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Behaviour is not always consistent: this is a challenge for trait
theorists who see traits as consistent over time and place
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Arbitrary decisions about which traits exist have been made through
factor analysis; hence different theories (e.g., Eysenck vs. Gray) have
emphasized different ways of viewing the same results
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Related to the previously point, it is not clear what constitutes a
trait - no good definition
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Possibly limited predictive ability: cannot explain why people may
behave differently in different situations (though could be due to the
way it has been studied)
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the general public (e.g., for practical settings, such as staff
training) are more interested in personality types, but most on the
research is on personality traits
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