trait
Summary
A trait is a relatively stable characteristic that shapes how a person tends to think, feel, and act across situations and over time. Trait theories, such as the Big Five, describe personality as a profile of traits. A trait differs from a state, which is temporary.
Detail
Meaning: In personality psychology, a trait is a relatively stable disposition that shows up across situations and over time, so people can be described and compared on it. Trait theories treat personality as a profile along dimensions, such as the Big Five (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism) or Eysenck's dimensions. Allport sorted traits into cardinal, central, and secondary. In biology, a trait is a heritable characteristic of an organism.
On the MCAT: Passages ask you to label a behavior as trait or state, match a description to a Big Five dimension, or decide which perspective a result supports. Trait theory contrasts with the situational perspective, which holds that circumstances drive behavior, and with the social cognitive view of reciprocal interaction among person, behavior, and environment. Twin and adoption studies are used to estimate the genetic contribution to traits.
Common confusion: A trait is not a state. Trait anxiety is a general tendency to be anxious; state anxiety is anxiety in a particular moment, such as before an exam. A trait describes a tendency, not a guarantee, so behavior can still vary with the situation, and traits are measured on continua rather than as either/or categories.
Sources
- Psychology (Myers)
- Psychology (Gleitman, Gross, Reisberg)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.