Dispositional and Biological Theory Newspaper Article

Samantha Craig

Psy/405

Sarah Lind

Introduction

How many times a day do you ask yourself why you behaved a certain way, or even question other individual's behaviors. There is reasonable explanation to this, and it is based on each person's personality that is so unique to that individual much like a snowflake. Throughout the years, there have been many different personality theories that have arisen by various amounts of theorists. This article will inform you on different personality theories known as Dispositional and Biological theories, which may help explain what personality is and put aside the question of why you act in a particular manner.

Different Aspects between Dispositional and Biological Theories

The dispositional theory states that an individual is not and should not be limited by how each of their childhood upbringings was or the events thereof. Instead, it is based on the motivation within each persona and how much they want to achieve something. The best example of this is how some people believe that genetics does not control or contribute to who they are, but that they get to make that decision on what their personality will be. Gordon Allport is a theorist who is well known for his dispositional theory of personality. Allport stated that personality is "the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his characteristic behavior and thought (Feist, Feist & Roberts, 2013)."

The biggest point about Dispositional Theory is that unlike other theories that consider personality to be an unchanging matter, it believes that it is constantly changing based upon each individual's psychological and physical needs. Gordon Allport took into consideration that each person has different traits that can contribute to their characteristics. He broke these down into three parts known as cardinal traits, central traits, and secondary traits. Cardinal traits are very rare and only come out at specific times. Secondary traits are more common acts that can frequently happen but not constantly there. Central traits are constantly there and are how someone would describe another person.

Biological Theory is based off the fact that genetics plays a vital role in a person's characteristics and determines what their personality will be. Hans Eysenck is one of the most known theorists who came up with biological theory. Eysenck believed that a person's environment had minimal effect to their personality but that the major contribution laid within the biological reasons. He divided personality into three dimensions known as Extroversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism. Extroversion, also known as extroverts are known to be positive, sociable and lively. Neuroticism is more along the lines of neurotic traits which can be seen as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These are believed to be genetic and passed down through hereditary. Psychoticism was added last to these dimensions and can show traits of antisocial, psychopathic and impulsive.

Strengths and Weakness of Dispositional and Biological Theories

All theories have their strengths, and their weaknesses, and the same goes for dispositional and biological theories. Gordon Allport personality theory had major strength in the fact that he looked at the positive aspect of the human mind. This particular theory was a way to open doors to the personality that no one considered to look at before. It also provided a great description as to what personality is and what it entails. The strongest part is that this theory has been internally consistent. The weaknesses of this theory are in the many. The biggest one could quite possibly be the fact that this particular theory has never been fully researched or have strong evidence to provide this theory. Allport theory is tested on only healthy individuals. This can cause problems due to not every individual is the same age or be healthy mentally. Hans Eysenck's biological theory strengths would have to be the fact that it has and can be further researched. Eysenck didn't just focus on a specific type of person. This theory is based off genetics and hereditary characteristics. The Weaknesses is the fact that Eysenck did not take into consideration that environment and free will can affect personality. The fact that he reduced personality into three different aspects and focused more on the psychological disorders of these areas such as bipolar.

The Big Five Personality Test

The big five is a theory of personality which emphasizes on the five dimensions of personality that influence and range from individuals. According to Feist, Feist and Roberts (2013) these include extraversion the level of the person's sociability and their enthusiasm. Neuroticism is the measure of the person's mood and vulnerability to emotions. Openness would be based on the individual's curiosity and creativity. Agreeableness is the level of generosity and kindness. Last is conscientiousness, which is focused on their work ethic and organization skills. These are then scored in a bell shape type graph that are based on the assessment. Each individual can score high, middle or low for each of the five dimensions of the personality test.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many personality theories that are out there. Two of the most common theories are dispositional and biological. Dispositional is based on the belief that every individual has the capability and free will to choose what their personality will be. While Biological is firm on the fact that a person's genetic makeup is what causes their characteristics. Whether both theories are right or wrong each one has their set of strengths and weaknesses. These can be due to having descriptive research involved to back up the theory or the inability to provide it. Each one has their pros and cons. The big five personality test takes in parts from both of these theories including environmental and combines them into a test based off of five dimensions. When this test is scored, the person is measured on whether they are high, low or in between each of these levels.

References

Feist, J, Feist, G.J., & Roberts, T.A. (2013). Theories of personality (6th ed.). Retrieved from the UOP eBook Collection