Personality Structure Of Self Control

Guilford (1959) defines personality traits as being ‘any distinguishable, relatively enduring way in which one individual varies from another’. Subsequently, trait theory can be identified as an approach to the study of human personality. The aim of psychologists, specifically trait theorists, is to explain similarities and differences between individuals based on traits. Although numerous psychologists differ on the amount of traits that are significant, each theorist categorizes personality traits along several broad type spectrums. This assignment will focus on comparing and contrasting Eysenck’s Hierarchical Theory of Personality and Costa and McRae’s Five Factor Model (FFM), two different trait theories of personality.

the five personality factor theory, as well as the theories on which it is based.

The five-factor model (FFM) is a contemporary construct describing personality. It incorporates five traits – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism also referred to as OCEAN. Within each dimension, there are specific personality attributes, for example, openness includes subcategories of feelings and actions. The FFM was influenced by Cattell’s 16-factor model (1957) and shares traits with many other personality theories such as Eysenck’s PEN model. There has been an ongoing debate discussing how many factors appropriately represent the brain structure of personality, suggestions have varied from 2-7, recently Almagor et al. (1995) advocated that a 7-factor model unfolds when evaluative traits are involved. Costa & Mcrae (1992) claim that the FFM is the best theory of personality, however, the model has received much criticism. Through examining different aspects of the model its credibility can be explored.

found later on in the textbook is called the Five-Factor model of personality (Cervone & Pervin,

The Big Five Model or the five-factor model of personality which is typically called the Big Five—has received strong supporting evidence. An impressive body of

The amount of each type of control helped assess a variety of mental disorders. This questionnaire was given to high school students since 1951 by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (Twenge, 2010). Twenge found dramatic increases in anxiety and depression over the past five decades. By comparing External and Internal locus of control, Twenge discovered that most teens are transitioning to an External locus of control. Although these questionnaires were given to high school students, children of all ages have shown an increase in “external control.” Twenge continued studies with anxiety and anxiety disorders. Recently, she published a study where she analyzed data collected from 1960 to 2002. Using a scale that was similar to Rotter’s, but more fit for younger children called the Nowicki-Strickland scale. Children from ages 9-14, as well as college students, showed an increase from internal to an external locus of control. Based on Twenge’s findings, the average child in 2002 was eighty percent more likely to believe in external control than a child

If children don’t learn self-control methods, they can be at risk of continually making the “wrong decision” due to past behaviors that have become bad habits. Taking a glimpse at the 32year children with poor self-control, they appear to be less financially aware and are less likely to save while more likely to encounter financial roadblocks. Looking over the observation of self-control gradient concluded that children with low self-control had worse health, more wealth, more single-parent child rearing, and more criminal convictions, than those who had high self-control. The children who had developed self-controlled from childhood to young adulthood had better results by the age of

From Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) perspective, individuals can have higher levels of self-controlled behaviors, if their

Trait self-control was measured with a 20-item scale adapted from the original 36-item Self-Control Scale developed and validated by Tangney et al. (2004). (e.g., “I am good at resisting temptation,” “People would describe me as impulsive” (reversed), “I’m able to work effectively toward long-term goals”). The scale showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α =.85). The composite score variable ranged from 1.85 to 4.60. The items of the scale can be found in Appendix 1.

The findings of this study are not surprising at all and one may question if the use of the HEXACO model, while an alternative to the Big Five, was overcomplicating to the process of compiling the data. Though the model provided additional personality traits to be examined, many of these paired traits were

To begin with, on the Locus of Control questionnaire I scored a 7. By interpreting my score I would suggest that I have a low score which gives me an internal locus of control. I basically see myself as responsible for the reinforcements that I attain and fail to attain in my life. The locus of control is to be considered a primary stage of a stable personality trait. According to Nourah Algadheeb, “Persons with an internal locus of control attribute their success or failure in life to their own abilities and efforts, whereas persons with an external locus of control think that their success or failure is the result of outside factors, such as luck or a poor instructional environment (Parameswari & Shamala, 2012) (17). I definitely agree

Social influences start effecting people’s behavior as soon as they are born. From the way one is raised to the way he or she is talked too can impact one greatly. Specifically, between the time a person is first born to the age of five, social influences can sculpt behavior powerfully. For example, when another person is in distress, toddlers start to show prosocial behavior that is supposed to cure that person’s negative affective state (Kärtner, Keller, Chaudhary, 2010). Self-regulation is one of the most important things that a person can develop. This idea is the basis behind being able to do things by yourself. As a child, it can start with being able to put your shoes on by yourself which then, by the time one reaches adulthood,

To further understand the student’s career development, I administered the Locus of Control Assessment. The assessment was created by Nowicki and Strickland in 1973 to determine if a person’s perception is more internal or external. There are three possible results: low, average, and high. People in the low category teen to have an internal locus of control as they see themselves being responsible for everything in life. Average respondents see themselves partially in control of their lives, but the level of control may vary in different aspects. For example, they may feel in control of their work like, but have not control over their social life. Finally, high respondents see life as a game of chance, with almost no sense of self-responsibility.

In the world today, self-control can be a difficult thing to maintain especially when battling with difficult circumstances that we often go through on a daily basis. Psychologist define self-control as the ability to control ourselves when put in a variety of situations, in particular in dealing with emotions and desires. Self-control sets us apart from our ancestors and also sets us apart from other animals in that we have higher reasoning skills and can better control our behavior. With these developments, humans have the ability to subdue impulses in order to achieve long-term goals, instead of surrendering to impulses to get instant gratification. Humans can also analyze choices and have to ability to weigh options to make the most beneficial decision. The ability to exert self-control is typically called willpower. This ability is what allows us to direct our attention, and it allows us to work to achieve goals and attain things that we need to survive in our daily lives. With this, self-control effects many areas of our lives such as dealing with temptations and addictions, achievement and emotion regulation.

Every individual has their own personality that is made up from a wide range of traits that combine and make each individual unique. By completing an Individual Assessment Scale, a questionnaire that measures your personality and other differences, an individual’s unique traits can be identified. The collection of unique traits identified after completing this questionnaire is not did not describe as positive or negative traits nor do you receive a good or bad score. The questionnaire was interesting in that it identified the personality and interests of myself and allowed me to compare this to others. It highlighted how different extremes of individual traits shape ones personality and determines how one would expect an individual to perform in everyday tasks, such as study habits. Two major models of personality, which are measured in the Individual Assessment Scale, include the big five also known as the HEXACO model and Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) model. The HEXACO model was measured with a MiniIPIP6 questionnaire (R) while RST was measured using the Jackson 5 questionnaire. When these scales are completed you receive your score on these and other scales. These scores are used throughout this assignment to critically discuss my scores compared to the mean score of other participants who preformed the Individual Assessment Scale. The other participants are students who study personality and individual differences at Griffith University in 2016. The one HEXACO