Personality Theory

Type of psychology: Personality
Field of study: Personality theory
Personality theories seek to describe and explain the characteristics of thought, feeling,
and behavior that differ among individuals and the coherence of these characteristics
within a single individual. Personality theories describe approaches to human nature
and provide the foundation for psychological therapies.
Key concepts
• attribution theory
• humanistic theory
• personality trait
• psychoanalytic theory
• social learning theory
Psychologists who study personality are interested in explaining both the coherence
of an individual’s behavior, attitudes, and emotions, and how that
individual may change over time. To paraphrase Clyde Kluckhohn, personality
theorists seek to describe and explain how each individual is unique,
how groups of people meaningfully differ from one another, and how all
people share some attributes. In developing answers to these questions,
theorists use widely varying definitions of personality that may differ from
the way the term “personality” is used in everyday language. Indeed, if
there is a single overriding basic issue in personality theory, it is: What is personality?