Source traits are:
(A) stable
(B) result of the interaction between surface traits
(C) considered as the building blocks of personality
(D) quite generalised dispositions
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (A) and (C) only
Raymond Cattell used factor analysis and found 16 primary or source traits.
(A) stable Correct. The source traits are stable; they are the common structure on which people differ.
(B) result of the interaction between surface traits Incorrect. It is the other way round: surface traits result out of the interaction of source traits.
(C) considered as the building blocks of personality Correct. Source traits are considered as the building blocks of personality; Cattell measured them with the 16PF questionnaire.
(D) quite generalised dispositions Incorrect. These words describe Allport’s central traits: less pervasive than cardinal traits, but still quite generalised dispositions, such as warm, sincere or diligent.
NCERT (2025-26): “Allport’s Trait Theory … Allport, based on this, categorised traits into cardinal, central, and secondary. Cardinal traits are highly generalised dispositions. They indicate the goal around which a person’s entire life seems to revolve. Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence and Hitler’s Nazism are examples of cardinal traits. Such traits often get associated with the name of the person so strongly that they derive such identities as the ‘Gandhian’ or ‘Hitlerian’ trait. Less pervasive in effect, but still quite generalised dispositions, are called central traits. These traits (e.g., warm, sincere, diligent, etc.) are often used in writing a testimonial or job recommendation for a person.…” “Cattell: Personality Factors … Raymond Cattell believed that there is a common structure on which people differ from each other. This structure could be determined empirically. He tried to identify the primary traits from a huge array of descriptive adjectives found in language. He applied a statistical technique, called factor analysis, to discover the common structures. He found 16 primary or source traits. The source traits are stable, and are considered as the building blocks of personality. Besides these, there are also a number of surface traits that result out of the interaction of source traits.…” |