Elucidate Cattell’s theory of personality ( Would suggest to draw diagram with

topic) you will get additional marks for sure

Raymond Cattell made many contributions to psychology but is most renowned

for his theory of personality. Cattell developed this theory later in his life, and
his work in psychometric research and factor analysis culminated in this unique
perspective on personality.

As with all of his work, Cattell took a statistical, measurable approach to studying
personality rather than utilizing observational and qualitative data. He wanted
to apply factor analysis to personality. To do this, he categorized data into three
parts to achieve a large, comprehensive method of sampling. The three data
types were:

 Life Data (L-data): Information about an individual's everyday behaviors

and their behavioral patterns. This included things such as the grades they
received in school, their marital status, social interactions, and more.
 Experimental Data (T-data): Recorded reactions to standardized
experiments in a lab setting, designed to test study participant's response
to certain situations.
 Questionnaire Data (Q-data): Responses to questions about the
participant's behavior and feelings. This data was introspection based and
provided a deeper look at the person's personality that is not always clear
through behavioral data.

The goal of Cattell's personality theory was to establish a "common taxonomy"

of personality traits. He refined previously established lists of personality traits
and narrow it to simplify the descriptions of personality even further than his
predecessors. The previously established taxonomy, created by psychologists
Gordon Allport and Henry Odbert in 1936, contained thousands of personality
traits divided into four categories. But, this taxonomy contained some
"ambiguous category boundaries," that reduced the significance of the work.
Raymond Cattell's personality theory sought to both refine the previous
taxonomy and create more rigid boundaries that added to the significance of
the theory.
The 16 Primary Traits of Cattell's Personality Theory

Cattell's theory of personality described 16 personality traits that each person

possesses to varying degrees. The personality traits are referred to as "primary
factors," of which someone can be in the "low range," or "high range." Within
those rangers are descriptors of attributes someone may possess, or ways
someone may act, who falls within those ranges.

The following personality trait list describes some of the descriptive terms used
for each of the 16 personality dimensions described by Cattell.

1. Abstractedness: Imaginative versus practical

2. Apprehension: Worried versus confident
3. Dominance: Forceful versus submissive
4. Emotional Stability: Calm versus high-strung
5. Liveliness: Spontaneous versus restrained
6. Openness to Change: Flexible versus attached to the familiar
7. Perfectionism: Controlled versus undisciplined
8. Privateness: Discreet versus open
9. Reasoning: Abstract versus concrete
10.Rule-Consciousness: Conforming versus non-conforming
11.Self-Reliance: Self-sufficient versus dependent
12.Sensitivity: Tender-hearted versus tough-minded.
13.Social Boldness: Uninhibited versus shy
14.Tension: Inpatient versus relaxed
15.Vigilance: Suspicious versus trusting
 16.Warmth: Outgoing versus reserved

Cattell developed many tests to measure above mentioned traits for different
age groups including The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire for adults, the
Adolescent Personality Questionnaire, and the Children’s Personality
Questionnaire.
After much research on the basic 16 traits it has been proven that they are very
useful in understanding and predicting a wide range of real life behaviors. For
example, the traits have been used in educational settings to observe things
such as learning style, creativity, achievement motivation, and even compatible
career choices for and individual. They have also been used in medical settings
to study things like heart attack proneness or recovery patterns from burns and
organ transplants.

The Big Five

Despite his scientific and mathematical expertise, Cattell's personality theory is

not without its critics. Most of the criticism is related to the fact that the theory
has never been entirely replicated; thus, the reliability of the factor analysis
calculations that shaped Cattell's personality theory is called into question.
Cattell claimed that this was because those who attempted to replicate his
findings were not using his exact methodology.

Despite the difficulties with replication, Cattell's personality theory undeniably

made a large impact on the field of personality within psychology. Cattell's
sixteen primary factors were essential for the later discovery of the "big five"
personality traits.

Just as Cattell sought to improve and refine the findings of his predecessors in
the field of personality, others did the same thing with Cattell's sixteen factors.
Psychologists were able to use Cattell's personality theory as a starting point to
distill it down to five personality traits that "define human personality." Cattell
recognized these factors in his research as "global factors" that encompass many
of the sixteen factors into five broader traits. The big five personality traits are:

 Openness
 Conscientiousness
 Extraversion
 Agreeableness
 Neuroticism
Conclusions for Theory of Personality

Although the theorists we studied showed great differences, there were also
some underlying similarities :

1. The importance of early childhood development, and especially the ability

to establish healthy relationships with both parents.

Freud, Jung, Adler, Rogers, Horney, & Maslow all believed childhood
experience was a fundamental determiner of adult personality.

Rogers call for "unconditional positive regard" (unconditional love) drives

this point home nicely.

In order to develop the capacity for love and empathy, we must be shown
love and empathy early on.

Important General Agreements among personality theorists

2. The fundamental importance of society in shaping personality.

Adler, Jung, and Horney were among the first to point out the
fundamental importance of society in the creation and maintenance of
psychological health (or unhealth).

Just as war can lead to an increased acceptance of violence, extended

periods of peace can lead to an increased acceptance of cooperation and
prosocial behavior.

3. The ability of the human to alter aspects of their personality.

Although none of the theorists state that this is an easy goal, most
theorists we examined (Freud being the most pessimistic exception)
believed that humans have a tendency towards psychological growth and
mental health which can be encouraged.

4. The understanding that multiple viewpoints (or subjective perceptions)

exist, and we must understand the individuals perception in order to assist
them.

This point is shown most strongly in the therapy of Rogers, Horney,

Maslow and Adler. They treated the individual as a whole, and wanted to
 learn what the client thought about their own environment rather than
rigidly classifying people with respect to prior clinical experience.

5. Finally, most theorists we examined (Freud is again the exception) have a

positive outlook toward human behavior and the capacity for a
psychologically healthy human evolutionary process. These theorists are
upbeat and positive about life and seem to have genuine empathy and liking
for their fellow humankind.