Personality vs Traits
Personality and traits are two different words that have a specific difference between them, even though they are inter-related. In personality psychology, the uniqueness and differences of human personality and traits have always been a subject of fascination not only for psychologists but also for the common person. Personality can be defined as the various characteristics that make an individual unique, influencing their thoughts, behavior, and emotions. Traits, on the other hand, are the various characteristics of an individual that help create a personality. This article aims to clarify the difference between personality and traits.
Key Takeaways
- Personality refers to the various characteristics that contribute to making an individual unique, influencing their thoughts, behavior, and emotions.
- Traits refer to the various characteristics of an individual that help create a personality.
- Personality remains consistent throughout a person’s lifetime, while traits may not always be consistent and can be dominant in different situations.
What is Personality?
A personality consists of various characteristics and patterns that influence a person’s emotions, thoughts, and behavior. This is usually unique to an individual, and the way a person behaves, reacts, thinks, and feels in a particular situation can be entirely different from how another individual responds to the same situation. This is due to the differences in their personalities. Psychologists believe that human personalities are mostly consistent, which is why a person’s behavior or reaction to similar situations remains the same. Our personality greatly impacts the way we deal with the world around us, affecting our relationships, thoughts, and approaches to various things. Personality is considered both a psychological and physiological construct. There are numerous theories about human personality in personality psychology, such as type theory, trait theory, humanistic theories, psychodynamic theories, and behavioral theories.
What is a Trait?
While personality refers to the totality of characteristics that make an individual unique, a trait refers to the individual characteristics that contribute to creating a personality. We all possess various traits such as sociability, kindness, hot-temperedness, aggressiveness, and toughness. It is a combination of these traits that create a personality. In personality psychology, one of the most well-known theories is the ‘Big Five,’ which states that personality is composed of five elements or traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness. Each trait plays a key role in the construction of a personality. Gordon Allport also presented a theory of traits, categorizing them into three groups: cardinal traits, central traits, and secondary traits. Cardinal traits are dominant in a personality, central traits lay the foundation for a personality, and secondary traits emerge in specific situations. This distinction highlights that personality and traits are two different concepts and should not be confused.
What is the difference between Personality and Traits?
- Definitions: Personality refers to the various characteristics that contribute to making an individual unique, while traits refer to the various characteristics in an individual that help create a personality.
- Reference: Personality refers to a combination of characteristics, whereas traits refer to individual characteristics that create a personality.
- Consistency: A personality remains consistent throughout an individual’s lifetime, while not all traits may be consistent throughout a person’s life. In different situations, different traits can be dominant.
- Nature: In a personality, there can be specific traits that emerge only in particular situations, such as being anxious.
