Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Introduction to Personality Psychology

Introduction to Personality Psychology

Personality encompasses a set of enduring traits and behavioral patterns that define how individuals think, feel, and interact, ultimately shaping their unique identities. The concept of personality has deep historical roots, deriving from the Latin term "persona," which means "mask." This term initially referred to the roles played by actors in ancient theater, signifying the different facets individuals display in various contexts.
Early Theories of Personality
The study of personality dates...

Personality Theory by Eysenck and Eysenck

Personality Theory by Eysenck and Eysenck

Hans and Sybil Eysenck developed a widely recognized theory of personality, which emphasizes the role of temperament and genetically based differences in shaping individual traits. Their theory posits that biological factors primarily determine personality and can be understood through two main dimensions: extroversion/introversion and neuroticism/stability.
In the extroversion/introversion dimension, highly extroverted people are sociable, outgoing, and easily connect with others. In contrast,...

Implicit Personality Theories

Implicit Personality Theories

Implicit personality theory explains how individuals make assumptions about the relationships between personality traits, behaviors, and character types. When people learn that someone possesses a particular trait, they tend to infer the presence of other related characteristics, forming a cohesive impression. This cognitive shortcut plays a crucial role in social interactions and interpersonal judgments.Central Traits and Their InfluenceSolomon Asch's seminal 1946 study highlighted the power...

Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality

Social Cognitive Perspective on Personality

Social cognitive perspectives on personality emphasize the importance of conscious awareness, beliefs, expectations, and goals in shaping behavior. These perspectives incorporate behaviorist principles, such as learning through reinforcement and conditioning, but extend beyond them by highlighting human reasoning and planning. Unlike traditional behaviorist views, social cognitive theory focuses on how individuals reflect on their past experiences and plan for future outcomes by considering...

Trait Theory by Gordon Allport

Trait Theory by Gordon Allport

Gordon Allport, often regarded as the father of American personality psychology, developed a theory that emphasized the importance of understanding people in their present lives rather than focusing on their past, as psychoanalysis did. Allport believed that personality should be studied in healthy, well-adjusted individuals rather than those with psychological problems. He was particularly interested in defining traits, which he saw as fundamental mental structures that guide behavior across...

The Behavioral Perspective on Personality

The Behavioral Perspective on Personality

Behaviorists view personality as primarily shaped by environmental reinforcements and consequences. According to this perspective, behavior is influenced by external stimuli, and individuals adjust their actions based on rewards and punishments. Over time, learning histories — accumulated patterns of reinforcement — play a significant role in shaping personality. Behaviors that lead to positive outcomes are reinforced, while those resulting in negative outcomes are diminished. Radical...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The value of focusing on psychosocial dysfunction rather than categorical disorders: Commentary on Caspi et al. (2026).

Journal of psychopathology and clinical science·2026

Same author

Changes in alcohol expectancy activation patterns precede onset of alcohol use in children.

Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors·2026

Same author

Testing the robustness of daily associations of affect with alcohol and cannabis use.

Journal of psychopathology and clinical science·2026

Same author

Learning Health Systems and Substance Use Care Cascade Achievement Among Justice-Involved Youth: A Cluster-Randomized Stepped-Wedge Clinical Trial.

JAMA network open·2026

Same author

Alcohol and cannabis use predicted by affect-urgency interactions in everyday life.

Clinical psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026

Same author

Racial Media Microaggressions: Impact on Black Adolescent Mental and Behavioral Health.

OTJR : occupation, participation and health·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

Construct validation theory applied to the study of personality dysfunction.

Tamika C B Zapolski¹, Leila Guller, Gregory T Smith

¹Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington,KY40506-0044, USA. tamika.zapolski@gmail

Journal of Personality

|February 11, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study suggests moving from syndrome-based personality disorder diagnoses to dimensional approaches improves diagnostic validity and treatment connections. Dimensional descriptions offer clearer meaning and better treatment applicability for personality dysfunction.

More Related Videos

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Published on: May 31, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 25, 2026

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder

Published on: March 8, 2018

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design

Published on: May 31, 2021

Area of Science:

Psychology
Psychiatry
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Personality disorders have historically been viewed as heterogeneous symptom clusters.
The traditional syndromal approach to personality disorders presents challenges in diagnostic clarity and validity.
Existing diagnostic frameworks may limit the understanding and treatment of personality dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

To review theory validation and construct validation principles in the context of personality dysfunction.
To advocate for a shift from syndromal to dimensional approaches in describing personality dysfunction.
To highlight the benefits of dimensional descriptions for diagnostic validity and treatment development.

Main Methods:

Literature review of theory validation and construct validation principles.
Critical analysis of the syndromal approach to personality disorder description.
Argumentation for the advantages of a dimensional approach to personality dysfunction.

Main Results:

The syndromal approach leads to diagnoses with unclear meaning and limited validity.
Describing personality dysfunction using homogeneous dimensions enhances diagnostic validity and clarity.
Dimensional descriptions offer more precise and useful characterizations of personality functioning.

Conclusions:

A dimensional approach to personality dysfunction offers superior descriptive and diagnostic capabilities compared to the syndromal approach.
Dimensional descriptions of personality function/dysfunction facilitate direct links to evidence-based treatments.
Adopting a dimensional framework is crucial for advancing the understanding and effective treatment of personality disorders.