Personality Theory and Research

A comprehensive and accessible approach to personality theory and research with a renewed focus on contemporary findings

In the newly revised 15th edition of Personality: Theory and Research, Professor Daniel Cervone delivers balanced and up-to-date coverage of the major theories of personality and the latest psychological research on the subject. The book offers consistent theory-by-theory discussions of personality structures, processes, and development and provides readers with a foundation to compare and relate each theory to the others.

New case simulations by Professor Tracy L. Caldwell (Dominican University) bridge the gap between theory and practice and a unique package of textbook features enables students to develop their critical thinking skills as they evaluate theories and research and consider their relevance to practical applications. The authors present thorough historical coverage of the development of personality research throughout the decades without omitting comprehensive analyses of contemporary research findings.

Readers will also find:

• Expanded coverage of the interplay between personality and culture, in which modern research findings challenge assumptions contained in 20th-century personality theories
• New content on the biological foundations of personality
• A brand-new modular format that offers instructors flexibility to cover personality theories in an order of their choosing
• Novel case simulations that deepen student understanding of theoretical concepts and enable them to relate principles of personality science to everyday life augment the resources available to instructors on the Instructor Companion Website, all of which are updated for the 15th edition by Professor Caldwell. 

An essential text for undergraduate and advanced students of psychology and related fields, Personality: Theory and Research is also ideal for psychology professionals, researchers, and practitioners.

Daniel Cervone is Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He earned his PhD in Psychology from Stanford University in 1985. In addition to his time at UIC, Dr. Cervone has been a visiting faculty member at the University of Washington and at the University of Rome La Sapienza, and has been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. He has co-authored or edited numerous volumes in personality science, including Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory: An Agentic Perspective on Human Nature (Wiley, 2023).

Preface vii

1 Personality Theory: From Observation to Scientific Explanation 1

Defining Personality, 4

Three Goals for the Personality Theorist, 6

Answering Questions about Persons Scientifically: Understanding Structures, Processes, Development, and Therapeutic Change, 10

Important Issues in Personality Theory, 17

Evaluating Personality Theories, 23

The Personality Theories: An Introduction, 24

Major Concepts, 28

Review, 28

2 The Scientific Study of People 29

Personality Research: The Data, 31

Personality Research: Research Designs, 35

Contemporary Developments in Personality Research: Social Media and Language-Based Assessments, 45

Personality Assessment and the Case of Jim, 48

Vive la Différence: Conceptual Distinctions in Personality Research, 49

Major Concepts, 56

Review, 56

3 A Psychodynamic Theory: Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality 57

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939): A View of the Theorist, 58

Freud's View of the Person, 60

Freud's View of the Science of Personality, 63

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory of Personality, 64

Major Concepts, 87

Review, 87

4 Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory: Applications, Related Theoretical Conceptions, and Contemporary Research 89

Psychodynamic Personality Assessment: Projective Tests, 90

Psychopathology, 96

Psychological Change, 99

The Case of Jim, 104

Related Theoretical Conceptions, 107

Contemporary Developments in Personality Theory: Neuropsychoanalysis, 122

Critical Evaluation, 127

Major Concepts, 131

Review, 131

5 A Phenomenological Theory: The Personality Theory of Rogers 133

Carl R. Rogers (1902-1987): A View of the Theorist, 135

Rogers's View of the Person, 137

Rogers's View of the Science of Personality, 139

The Personality Theory of Carl Rogers, 140

Major Concepts, 153

Review, 153

6 Rogers's Phenomenological Theory: Applications, Related Theoretical Conceptions, and Contemporary Research 154

Clinical Applications, 155

The Case of Jim, 162

Related Conceptions: Human Potential, Positive Psychology, and Existentialism, 164

Developments in Research: The Self and Authenticity, 172

Contemporary Developments in Personality Theory: Personality Systems Interaction Theory and the Integrated Self, 179

Personality Systems Interaction Theory, 180

Illustrative Research, 183

Implications for Rogers's Self Theory of Personality, 183

Critical Evaluation, 184

Major Concepts, 188

Review, 188

7 Trait Theories of Personality: Allport, Eysenck, and Cattell 189

A View of the Trait Theorists, 190

Trait Theory's View of the Person, 191

Trait Theory's View of the Science of Personality, 192

Trait Theories of Personality: Basic Perspectives Shared by Trait Theorists, 194

The Trait Theory of Gordon W. Allport (1897-1967), 195

Identifying Primary Trait Dimensions: Factor Analysis, 198

The Factor-Analytic Trait Theory of Raymond B. Cattell (1905-1998), 200

The Three-Factor Theory of Hans J. Eysenck (1916-1997), 204

Major Concepts, 212

Review, 212

8 Trait Theory: The Five-Factor Model and Contemporary Developments 214

On Taxonomies of Personality, 215

The Five-Factor Model of Personality: Research Evidence, 216

Five-Factor Theory, 226

Maybe We Missed One? The Six-Factor Model, 229

Cross-cultural Research: Are the Big Five Dimensions Universal?, 229

Contemporary Developments in Trait Theory: Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory, 234

The Case of Jim--Factor-Analytic Trait-Based Assessment, 240

The Person-Situation Controversy, 243

Critical Evaluation, 245

Major Concepts, 249

Review, 249

9 Behaviorism and The Learning Approaches To Personality 251

Behaviorism's View of the Person, 254

Behaviorism's View of the Science of Personality, 254

Watson, Pavlov, and Classical Conditioning, 258

Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning, 268

Critical Evaluation, 278

Major Concepts, 281

Review, 281

10 A Cognitive Theory: George A. Kelly's Personal Construct Theory of Personality 282

George A. Kelly (1905-1966): A View of the Theorist, 285

Kelly's View of the Science of Personality, 286

Kelly's View of the Person, 287

The Personality Theory of George A. Kelly, 288

Clinical Applications, 301

The Case of Jim, 304

Related Points of View and Recent Developments, 305

Critical Evaluation, 306

Major Concepts, 310

Review, 310

11 Social-Cognitive Theory: Bandura and Mischel 311

Relating Social-Cognitive Theory to Historically Prior Theories, 312

A View of the Theorists, 313

Social-Cognitive Theory's View of the Person, 316

Social-Cognitive Theory's View of the Science of Personality, 317

Social-Cognitive Theory of Personality: Structure, 317

Social-Cognitive Theory of Personality: Process, 325

Social-Cognitive Theory of Growth and Development, 329

Major Concepts, 341

Review, 341

12 Social-Cognitive Theory: Applications, Related Theoretical Conceptions, and Contemporary Developments 342

Beliefs About the Self and Self-Schemas, 344

Standards of Evaluation and Self-Discrepancies, 352

Contemporary Developments in Personality Theory: The KAPA Model, 354

Clinical Applications, 361

Stress, Coping, and Cognitive Therapy, 366

The Case of Jim, 370

Critical Evaluation, 372

Major Concepts, 375

Review, 375

13 Culture, Interpersonal Relations, and the Social Foundations of Personality and Its Development 376

Persons in Cultures, 378

Broad Cultural Differences: Western and Eastern Views of Self, 385

Societies within Cultures: Social Practices and Personality Development, 389

Personality Development in Socioeconomic Context, 393

Personality Functioning Across the Life Span, 396

Interpersonal Relationships, 398

Putting Personality in Context into Practice, 404

Summary, 409

Major Concepts, 409

Review, 409

14 Genes, Brains, and Biological Bases of Personality and its Development 411

This illustration shows the location through which an iron rod blasted through the frontal cortex of Phineas Gage--who survived the accident but experienced a profound change in his personality., 412

Temperament, 413

Evolution, Evolutionary Psychology, and Personality, 436

Mood, Emotion, and the Brain, 446

Plasticity: Biology as Both Cause and Effect, 451

Neuroscientific Investigations of "Higher-Level" Psychological Functions, 452

Summary, 453

Major Concepts, 453

Review, 453

15 Assessing Personality Theory and Research 455

The Personality Theories: Similarities, Differences, and Integration, 456

What an Integrative Theory Might Look Like, 460

How Did They Do? A Critical Evaluation of the Personality Theories and Their Research, 461

A Final Summing Up: Theories as Toolkits, 466

Review, 467

Glossary G-1

References R-1

Author Index I-1

Subject Index I-00

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