The terms common, personal, and cardinal refer to which theoretical construct?

The terms common, personal, and cardinal refer to which theoretical construct?

• A. Trait Theory
• B. Systematic Desensitization
• C. Libido
• D. Psychosis

Answer: (A)

Personality is organized around enduring traits that shape how a person tends to think, feel, and behave across different situations. This idea is central to Trait Theory: people have stable dispositions that persist over time, influencing their actions in a consistent way. The terms common, personal, and cardinal illustrate how trait theory describes levels or kinds of traits. Cardinal traits are dominant, guiding nearly all of a person’s behavior. Personal (often called central) traits are the core characteristics that define much of how someone acts and responds. Common traits refer to those shared across many people, helping explain similarities between individuals within a group. Together, these terms show how Trait Theory accounts for both the distinctive pattern of one person and the similarities observed across people. Other options don’t fit this framework: systematic desensitization is a therapeutic technique for reducing anxiety, libido is a concept from psychoanalytic theory about psychic energy, and psychosis is a clinical condition rather than a theory about personality structure.

Personality is organized around enduring traits that shape how a person tends to think, feel, and behave across different situations. This idea is central to Trait Theory: people have stable dispositions that persist over time, influencing their actions in a consistent way.

The terms common, personal, and cardinal illustrate how trait theory describes levels or kinds of traits. Cardinal traits are dominant, guiding nearly all of a person’s behavior. Personal (often called central) traits are the core characteristics that define much of how someone acts and responds. Common traits refer to those shared across many people, helping explain similarities between individuals within a group. Together, these terms show how Trait Theory accounts for both the distinctive pattern of one person and the similarities observed across people.

Other options don’t fit this framework: systematic desensitization is a therapeutic technique for reducing anxiety, libido is a concept from psychoanalytic theory about psychic energy, and psychosis is a clinical condition rather than a theory about personality structure.