GORDON ALLPORT- The Trait Psychologist

• Born in November 11, 1897, Indiana
• Died  October 9,1967 
• Cause of death: Lung cancer

Gordon Allport is known as a trait psychologist, and appropriately so since he painstakingly found 4,500 words from a dictionary to describe a person. According to him, an individual's personality is made up of all the traits they have. 

He divided these traits into 3 levels. Cardinal trait, Central trait, and Secondary traits.

Cardinal traits dominate an individual, resulting in traits the person is known by. These are strong traits like narcism, kindness, lust, greed. These traits will direct most of that person's activities. We all have a friend with a cardinal trait. Maybe they are too rude, greedy, or egotistical. Cardinal traits are the traits we have that makes us stand out. Think of people like Lady Gaga, Hitler and Michael Jackson.


Central traits are not as dominating as cardinal traits. These are less obvious characteristics and they are prominent dispositions found in everyone, such as "caringness,""shyness," "honesty,"responsibleness," and "respectfulness." 


Secondary traits are only shown under certain conditions. For example, nervousness while delivering a speech and anxiousness while taking a test. Secondary traits are less central in an individual.


He is definately not as controversial as Freud, but naturally every psychologist will have their critics who disagree. We need critics. Ouellette's article "Notes for a Critical Personality Pyschology: Making Room under the Critical Psychology Umbrella," supports that belief. Ouellette stated that if advantage is taken of important research trends and recognizing conflicts, “We can prepare an agenda for a critical personality psychology that is responsive to pressing social justice concerns capable of working with  and for those who have been socially marginalized and neglected in research.”  If we pay attention to the conflicts in research, we must critique them and recognize their flaws. This way we can help to build and detract from theories  in order to improve them.


My only critique is that social deviants wouldn't fit into the 3 trait levels with ease, since they barely react and don't display many emotions.

 They would display many negative cardinal traits, but would be low on central traits and secondary traits. Alllports Trait theory seem to exclude social deviants. Sociopaths would display  many central traits such as callousness, prone to violent outbursts and show aggression nearly anywhere, not have the capacity to hold good relationships and would not show guilt. They deviate from Allport's three levels of traits. A high-functioning sociopath may fit easier into all 3 categories, as they are highly intelligent and more likely to succeed in the career path they choose.



One interesting fact is that Allport did not like Freud. Gordon told of his experience in an essay called Pattern and Growth in Personality. He went to meet psychiatrist Sigmund Freud in 1922 in Vienna, Austria. He told him the story of a little boy on the train who obsessively tried to remain clean during the ride and refused to sit where a dirty looking man had sat previously. His mother also seemed very domineering. Freud's response asking Allport if that little boy was him offended him, and caused him to believe that psychoanalysis dug too deep. He  also rejected Freud's Method of psychoanalyses.