Who among the following is known for his theory of personality under the trait approach ?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Cattell
Raymond Cattell is one of the trait theorists. He believed that there is a common structure on which people differ, and he applied factor analysis to the adjectives of language to find 16 primary or source traits, the stable building blocks of personality, along with surface traits that arise from their interaction. He developed the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF) to assess them.
NCERT (2025-26): “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. Cattell described the source traits in terms of opposing tendencies. He developed a test, called Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), for the assessment of personality. This test is widely used by psychologists.…” |