Open AccessA Five‐Factor Theory Perspective on Causal Analysis
Author(s) -
McCrae Robert R.,
Sutin Angelina R.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
european journal of personality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.839
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1099-0984
pISSN - 0890-2070
DOI - 10.1002/per.2134
Subject(s) - psychology , personality , trait theory , trait , big five personality traits , perspective (graphical) , set (abstract data type) , identification (biology) , social psychology , adaptation (eye) , cognitive psychology , personality development , developmental psychology , botany , artificial intelligence , neuroscience , biology , computer science , programming language
Abstract Five‐Factor Theory provides a broad but largely blank template for causal personality research. Within Five‐Factor Theory, there are three major categories of questions: (1) how do biological structures and functions lead to trait levels? (2) how do traits and the environment give rise to acquired psychological institutions? and (3) how do personality characteristics interact with specific situations to determine behaviours and reactions? Both practical and ethical issues complicate the search for the causes of trait change. Causal explanations of the development of characteristic adaptations are likely to be incomplete, because there are many different ways in which the same adaptation may be acquired. Studies of the determinants of behaviour are usually left to social, educational, or clinical psychologists—although personality psychologists may make distinctive contributions by emphasizing the role of the individual in selecting and creating situations. A causal understanding of the functioning of the personality system is possible through the integration of many lines of evidence, but it is likely to take a very long time. In the meanwhile, personality psychologists may fruitfully pursue the identification of practical causes by which individuals with a given set of traits can optimize their adaptation. Copyright © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology