Eysenck and Norman

Eysenck regards personality as being primarily an inborn phenomenon. That means that personality, to him, is more like eye color or height than it is like learned phenomena. He has proposed a scheme with three dimensions: neurotic vs. stable, extraverted vs. introverted, and stupid vs. intelligent. Further, he has created a test to measure individuals on those three dimensions. Notice how the study of personality reflects the nature-nurture problem discussed much earlier. Eysenck's theory leans toward the nature end of the continuum, while learning and social learning theories are closer to the nurture end.

Norman's "Big Five" personality traits are similar to Eysenck's. The big five traits are neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Notice how Norman's proposal may serve as a bridge between biological and learned theories. Also, notice how many fewer traits are used by Eysenck and Norman compared to the 16 used by Cattell in formulating the 16 PF.

URLs

Hans Eysenck--text, basic, short, links, graphics

Short biography of the late biological-personality theorist, Hans Eysenck. http://www.psych101.com/bio/eysenck.html

Hans Eysenck--text, interm., medium, links

Another short biography of the late Hans Eysenck; discusses his work. http://152.52.2.152/newsroom/ntn/health/090897/health8_29468_noframes.html

The Big Five Factors of Personality--tutorial, basic, short, links, graphics

Gives short descriptions of the big five personality traits: neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. http://www.psych-test.com/bigfive.htm

The Big Five Dimensions--tutorial, interm., long, links

Provides a table with the big five personality traits (extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, stability, openness) as columns and theorists as rows. Links in the table provide information about a theorist's interpretation of a trait. http://galton.psych.nwu.edu/GreatIdeas/bigfive.html

The Big Five Taxonomy--tutorial, adv., long, links

Answers: 1) What is the evidence on which the claim that there are five basic traits rests?; 2) Summarize the major conceptual and empirical work relevant to the nature and usefulness of these dimensions?; and 3) Discuss whether this system fully captures what is meant by "personality." http://fujita.iusb.edu/big5.html

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