Functional Autonomy and Personal Dispositions

Most personality theorists view adulthood as an extension of the basic motives
present in childhood. Consistent with his belief that personality is always evolving, Allport believed that the motivations of adulthood are often
independent of the motivations of childhood, and he referred to this
concept as functional autonomy. For example, a person who plays a musical
instrument during childhood years because of parental pressure may
play the same instrument for relaxation or enjoyment as an adult. Although
not all motives are functionally autonomous, many adult activities represent
a break from childhood and are based on varied and self-sustaining motives.
According to this perspective, personality is based on concrete human
motives that are represented by personal traits or dispositions. Human traits
are seen as guiding human behavior, but they must also account for wide
variability within a person’s conduct from situation to situation. As a result,
Allport distinguished between different types and levels of traits or dispositions.
Common traits represent those elements of personality that are useful
for comparing most people within a specific culture, but they cannot provide
a complete profile of any individual person. In contrast, personal dispositions
represent the true personality, are unique to the person, and represent
subtle differences among persons.

Three kinds of personal dispositions exist: cardinal dispositions, central
dispositions, and secondary dispositions. When a person’s life is dominated
by a single, fundamental, outstanding characteristic, the quality is referred
to as a cardinal disposition. For example, Adolf Hitler’s cruelty and Mahatma
Ghandhi’s pacifism are examples of cardinal dispositions. Central
dispositions represent the five to ten important qualities of a person that
would typically be discussed and described in a thorough letter of recommendation.
Finally, secondary dispositions are characteristics that are more
numerous, less consistently displayed, and less important than central dispositions.