GORDON W.

ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL

GORDON WILLARD ALLPORT THEORY
OVERVIEW Answers three interrelated questions:
1. What is personality?
● emphasized the uniqueness of the 2. What is the role of conscious
individual; each person’s motivation in personality theory?
uniqueness was his willingness to 3. What are the characteristics of the
study in-depth a single individual psychologically healthy person?
● He believed that attempts to
describe people in terms of general WHAT IS PERSONALITY?
traits rob them of their unique ● a 50th definition, which in 1937 was
individuality “the dynamic organization within
● Called the study of the individual; the individual of those
morphogenic science psychophysical systems that
● Morphogenic methods - gather determine his unique adjustments to
data on a single individual his environment”
● Nomothetic methods - gather ● In 1961, he changed the last phrase
data on groups of people to “that determines his
● advocated an eclectic approach to characteristics behavior & thought“
theory building: He accepted some ● behavior is expressive as well as
of the contributions of adaptive
○ Freud ● People not only adjust to their
○ Maslow environment but also reflect on it
○ Rogers and interact with it in such a way
○ Eysenck
as to cause their environment to
○ Skinner, and others;
adjust to them
○ but he believed that none of
● Dynamic organization - an
these theorists is able to
adequately explain the total integration or interrelatedness of
growing and unique the various aspects of personality;
personality. Personality is organized and
● Allport argued against patterned. However, the
particularism, or theories that organization is always subject to
emphasize a single aspect of change: the qualifier “dynamic.”
personality ● Personality is not static or
organization: it is constantly
growing and changing

● Characteristic, Allport wished to

APPROACH TO PERSONALITY
imply “individual” or “unique.”

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GORDON W. ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
The word “character” originally recognized the fact that some
meant a marking or engraving motivation is driven by hidden
● Characteristics are marked with a impulses and sublimated drives
unique engraving, a stamp or ● Example: Most compulsive
marking, that no one else can behaviors are automatic
duplicate. repetitions, usually self-defeating,
● Behavior and thought simply refer and motivated by unconscious
to anything the person does; tendencies. They often originate in
omnibus terms are meant to childhood and retain a childish
include internal behaviors & flavor into adult years.
external behaviors
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS
Allport’s comprehensive definition of OF A HEALTHY PERSON?
personality suggests that human beings are ● Conception of the mature
both product and process; personality, psychologically
★ People have some organized structure mature people are characterized
while, at the same time, they possess
by proactive behaviour.
the capability of change. Pattern
● Proactive behavior is not merely
coexists with growth, and order with
directed at reducing tensions but
diversification.
also at establishing new ones
IN SUMMARY, personality is both physical ○ They not only react to
external stimuli but are
and psychological; it includes both overt
capable of consciously acting
behaviors and covert thoughts; it not only
on their environment in new
is something, but it does something. and innovative ways & causing
Personality is both substance and change, their environment to react to
both product and process, both structure them.
and growth.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CONSCIOUS

MOTIVATION?
● Allport emphasized the
importance of conscious
motivation.
● Healthy adults are generally aware SIX CRITERIA FOR THE MATURE
of what they are doing and their PERSONALITY
reasons for doing it.
FIRST, an extension of the sense of self
● Allport (1961) did not ignore the
● They seek to identify with &
existence or even the importance participate in events outside
of unconscious processes. He themselves

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GORDON W. ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
● Not self-centered but are able to on airs
become involved
● develop an unselfish interest in work, SIXTH, unifying philosophy of life
play, and recreation. ● They have a clear view of the purpose
of life
SECOND, characterized by a “ warm ● Without this view, their insight would
relating of self to other” be empty and barren, and their
● Have the capacity to love others in an humor would be trivial and cynical.
intimate and compassionate manner;
Warm relating, of course, is
dependent on people’s ability to STRUCTURE OF PERSONALITY
extend their sense of self
● treat other people with respect, and The structure of personality refers to its
they realize that the needs, desires, basic units or building blocks. To Allport,
and hopes of others are not the most important structures are those
completely foreign to their own
● have a healthy sexual attitude and do
that permit the description of the person in
not exploit others for personal terms of individual characteristics, and he
gratification. called these individual characteristics:
personal dispositions
THIRD, emotional security or self-
acceptance
● They accept themselves for what PERSONAL DISPOSITIONS
they are, and they possess, called ● Individual traits, even greater
emotional poise
importance because they permit
● They do not dwell on minor
irritations, and they recognize that researchers to study a single
frustrations and inconveniences are a individual
part of living.

FOURTH, possess a realistic perception COMMON TRAITS

of their environment ● shared by several people, general
● They do not live in a fantasy world or characteristics held in common by
bend reality to fit their own wishes. many people.
They are problem-oriented rather
than self-centered
● They are in touch with the world as
most others see it. LEVELS OF PERSONAL
FIFTH, insight, and humor
DISPOSITIONS
● They know themselves and,
● Cardinal Dispositions
therefore, have no need to attribute
their own mistakes and weaknesses ○ an eminent characteristic or
to others. ruling passion so
● Healthy individuals see themselves outstanding that it
objectively. dominates their lives;
● They are able to perceive the obvious that they cannot be
incongruities and absurdities in life
hidden
and have no need to pretend or put
● Central Dispositions

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GORDON W. ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
○ would be listed in an accurate as warm, central, and important
letter of recommendation in their lives.
written by someone who knew ● The proprium is not the whole
the person quite well; personality, because many
descriptive of that person
characteristics and behaviors of a
from friend and close
person are not warm and central
acquaintances
● Secondary Dispositions
Includes those aspects of life that a person
○ Less conspicuous but far
greater in number than
regards as important to a sense of self-
central dispositions; less identity and self-enhancement; m
intense, less generalized, includes a person’s values as well as that
less consistent part of the conscience that is personal
and consistent with one’s adult beliefs.
MOTIVATIONAL AND STYLISTIC
DISPOSITIONS NONPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR
● exist on the periphery of
● Motivational dispositions personality
○ initiate action; intensely ● These behavior include:
experienced dispositions 1. basic drives and needs that
○ strongly felt dispositions are ordinarily met and
receive their motivation from satisfied without much
basic needs and drives difficulty
● Stylistic dispositions 2. tribal customs (e.g. wearing
○ guide action; less intensely clothes, saying “hello” to
experienced people)
3. habitual behaviors
Allport saw no distinct division between
motivational and stylistic personal
dispositions
MOTIVATION

● Allport believed, are motivated by

PROPRIUM present drives rather than by past
events and are aware of what they
● an individual refers to in such terms are doing and have some
as “That is me” or “This is mine.” understanding of why they are
● All characteristics that are doing it.
“peculiarly mine” belong to the
PERIPHERAL MOTIVES
proprium
● those that reduce a need
● Refer to those behaviors and
characteristics that people regard PROPRIATE STRIVINGS

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GORDON W. ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
● propriate strivings seek to 1. It will acknowledge the
maintain tension and contemporaneity of motives.
disequilibrium ○ The history of an individual is
significant only when it has a
present effect on motivation
FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY
2. It will be a pluralistic theory –
● represents Allport’s most
allowing for motives of many types.
distinctive and, at the same time,
○ Motives that appear to be
most controversial postulate;
different really are different,
Explanation for the myriad human not only in form but also in
motives that seemingly are not substance
accounted for by hedonistic or
drive-reduction principles 3. It will ascribe dynamic force to
● Functional autonomy represents a cognitive processes (e.g. planning
theory of changing rather than and intention).
unchanging motives and is the ○ Allport argued that most
capstone of Allport’s ideas on people are busy living their
motivation. lives into the future; which
● The concept of functional refers more generally to long-
autonomy holds that some, but not range intention.

all, human motives are functionally 4. It will allow for concrete

independent of the original motive uniqueness of motives.
○ A concrete unique motive is
responsible for the behavior.
different from an abstract
● Human behavior is based on
generalized one
present interests and on conscious
motivation.
IN SUMMARY, a functionally autonomous
● This notion that much human
motive is contemporary and self-
behavior is based on present
sustaining; it grows out of an earlier motive
interests and on conscious
but is functionally independent of it.
preferences is in harmony with the
commonsense belief of many IN OTHER WORDS, what begins as one
people who hold that they do motive may grow into a new one that is
things simply because they like to historically continuous with the original but
do them. functionally autonomous from it

REQUIREMENT OF AN ADEQUATE TWO LEVELS OF FUNCTIONAL

THEORY OF MOTIVATION; AUTONOMY
FUNCTIONAL AUTONOMY
Perseverative Functional Autonomy

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GORDON W. ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
● It is an elementary level of functional 5. Habits in the process of being
autonomy, borrowed from the term formed
“perseveration,” which is the tendency 6. Patterns of behavior that require
of an impression to leave an
primary reinforcement
influence on subsequent experience
7. Sublimations that can be tied to
● the tendency of certain primary
childhood sexual desires
behaviors to proceed within the
absence of reinforcement (e.g. 8. Some neurotic or pathological
addictive behavior - alcohol, tobacco, or symptoms
drugs)

THE STUDY OF INDIVIDUAL

Propriate Functional Autonomy
● the master system of motivation that
● Psychology has historically dealt
confers unity on character, which
with general laws and
refers to self-sustaining motives that
characteristics that people have in
are related to the proprium (e.g.
autonomous behaviors embrace common
pursuing interests that one holds dear ● Allport repeatedly advocated
and necessary) development and use of research
methods that study the individual
● Psychologists employ methods
that study the motivational and
stylistic behaviors of one person

PROCESSES THAT ARE NOT MORPHOGENIC SCIENCE

FUNCTIONALLY AUTONOMOUS
Allport distinguished between two
Allport (1961) listed eight processes: scientific approaches:
1. Biological drives, such as eating, ● the nomothetic, which seeks
breathing, and sleeping general laws
2. Motives directly linked to the ● the idiographic, which refers to
reduction of basic drives that which is peculiar to the single
3. Reflex actions such as an eye blink case
4. Constitutional equipment, namely ○ Allport later abandoned the
physique, intelligence, and term because the term
“idiographic” was so often
temperament
misused, misunderstood, and

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GORDON W. ALLPORT: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE INDIVIDUAL
misspelled (being confused
with “ideographic,”)
● Both “idiographic” &
“morphogenic” pertain to the
individual, but “idiographic” does
not suggest structure or pattern.
In contrast, “morphogenic” refers
to patterned properties of the
whole organism and allows for
intraperson comparisons.