Raymond Cattell

Raymond
Cattell
CHAPTER 10
PA RT B
Major Goal
Prediction (Not Behavior Modification)
His aim was to study personality, not treat it
His approach is rigorously scientific (based on factor analysis)

Referred to the factors emerging out of datasets of personality observations as traits
– mental elements of the personality
Only when we know someone’s traits can we predict how that person will behave in a
given situation. Thus, to understand someone fully, we must be able to describe in
precise terms the entire pattern of traits that define that person as an individual.
The Life of Cattell
Happy Childhood – Good Parenting His time in London intensified his interest in
social problems, but he realized that training in
At the age of 9, observed wounded soldiers
the physical sciences did not equip him to deal
returning from battlefields of France during with social ills.
World War I The best solution was to master the study of the
this experience made him unusually human mind.
serious for a young boy and aware of the Psychology at that time was regarded as a
“brevity of life and the need to accomplish discipline for eccentrics.
while one might.” Cattell began graduate studies at the University
His intense dedication to work may have of London, working with the eminent
originated from these experiences. psychologist-statistician Charles E. Spearman,
who had developed the technique of factor
At age 16, Cattell enrolled at the University analysis.
of London to study physics and chemistry, Spearman had used factor analysis to measure
graduating with honors in 3 years. mental abilities, Cattell resolved to apply the
method to the structure of personality
The Life of Cattell
During this period, he developed chronic  Married a mathematician at the age of 40
digestive disorder resulting from overwork, and settled as a research professor at
deficient diet, and residence in a cold University of Illinois.
basement apartment
 Published more than 500 articles and 43
His wife left him due to his poor economic
books.
prospects and total absorption in work
He finally received an opportunity to work in  Was a dedicated hard worker, died at the age
his chosen field eight years after his PhD. of 92.
Edward Lee Thorndike invited Cattell to spend  In 1997, received Gold Medal Award for Life
a year at his lab at Columbia University. Achievement in Psychological Science from
Later, Cattell moved to Harvard; his APA.
colleagues included Henry Murray, Gordon The citation noted;
Allport, and William Sheldon working on his
personality theory and body types. In a remarkable 70-year career, Raymond B.
Cattell has made prodigious, landmark
contributions to psychology, including factor
analytic mappings of the domains of personality,
motivation, and abilities.. Cattell stands without
Cattell’s Definition
of Traits
Cattell defined traits as
relatively permanent
reaction tendencies that are
the basic structural units of
the personality. He classified
traits in several ways
Cattell’s Approach to Personality Traits
Cattell’s Approach to Personality Traits
10 Ergs
Source Traits: The basic factors of
Personality
After more than two decades of intensive factor-analytic research, Cattell

identified 16 source traits as the basic factors of personality. These factors
are best known in the form in which they are most often used, in an
objective personality test called the Sixteen Personality Factor (16 PF)
Questionnaire.
Cattell later identified additional factors he designated temperament traits
because they relate to the general style and emotional tone of behavior.
He gave as examples excitability, zest, self-discipline, politeness, and self-
assurance.
Source traits are the basic elements of personality
Dynamic Traits: The Motivating Forces
Cattell believed that a personality theory that failed to consider the
impact of dynamic, or motivating, forces is incomplete, like trying to
describe an engine but failing to mention the type of fuel on which it
runs.
Cattell proposed two kinds of dynamic, motivating traits: ergs and
sentiments. The word erg derives from the Greek word ergon, which
means work or energy. Cattell used erg to denote the concept of
instinct or drive. Ergs are the innate energy source or driving
force for all behaviors, the basic units of motivation that direct
us toward specific goals.
11 Ergs
1. Anger 7. Protection
2. Appeal 8. Security
3. Curiosity 9. Self-Assertion
4. Disgust
10.Self-Submission
5. Gregariousness
11.Sex
6. Hunger
Ergs & Sentiments
Whereas an erg is a constitutional source trait, a sentiment is an
environmental-mold source trait because it derives from external social
and physical influences. A sentiment is a pattern of learned attitudes that
focuses on an important aspect of life, such as a person’s community,
spouse, occupation, religion, or hobby. Both ergs and sentiments motivate
behavior, but there is a vital difference between them. Because an erg is
a constitutional trait, it is a permanent structure of the
personality. It may strengthen or weaken but it cannot disappear. A
sentiment, because it results from learning, can be unlearned and can
disappear so that it is no longer important to a person’s life.
Subsidiation
Our dynamic traits—the ergs and sentiments—are
related to our attitudes through the concept of
subsidiation, which means simply that within the
personality some elements subsidiate, or are
subordinate to, other elements.
Attitudes are subsidiary to sentiments; sentiments are
subsidiary to ergs.
The Self-Sentiment
Each person’s pattern of sentiments is organized by a master
sentiment called the self-sentiment. This is our self-concept,
reflected in virtually all of our attitudes and behaviors. The
self-sentiment provides stability, coherence, and organization
to the source traits and is linked to the expression of the ergs
and sentiments. It is among the last of the sentiments to reach
a full level of development. The self-sentiment contributes to
the satisfaction of the dynamic traits and therefore controls
all of the structures in the personality.
Stages of Personality Development

Raymond Cattell

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Raymond Cattell

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Raymond Cattell

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Raymond

His approach is rigorously scientific (based on factor analysis)

After more than two decades of intensive factor-analytic research, Cattell

You might also like