IndexIntroductionAllport's Trait Theory and SubcategoriesMaslow's Critique of What Makes YouBandura's Social and Cognitive TheoryConclusionReferencesIntroductionAt first glance, personality seems so simple to explain. At least I felt that way. That is until I started intro to my general psychology course. After reading and doing some research online and in my textbook, I discovered that personality is much more than a definition. Personality is what makes you you! It's who you are. But how exactly did we develop our personality? Are we born with it? Does it change? What influences our personality? There are so many questions on the topic of personality that they have piqued the interest of some of the best known theorists/psychologists out there. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Allport's Trait Theory and SubcategoriesAfter examining Gordon Allport's trait theory, he believed that there were two main types of personality traits. Municipality and personal. He went on to say that personal traits branch into three subcategories. Cardinal, central and secondary. (Josh Gerow, Kenneth Bordens, Evelyn Blanch-Payne, 2012, p. 393) I think Allport was a very organized individual and his brain worked better that way. I like how he focused on the core traits that are what primarily characterized who the person was, but also understood that some (secondary) traits depend on the current circumstance or situation. However, I disagree with the cardinal trait. I don't believe that a certain trait can control everything a person does. For example, if someone said that my cardinal characteristic is control, that might be true but it could also be due to a disorder. What would happen if I were diagnosed with this disorder and given a medical intervention that no longer allowed me to control it? Would I no longer have a cardinal feature? I think if it's a medical diagnosis it shouldn't be considered a personality trait. For this reason, I disagree with the cardinal trait of the subcategory and think it should have stuck to the central and secondary traits as subcategories. Maslow's Critique of What Makes You You Abraham Maslow was more interested in the actual "self" and was a very optimistic person. (Josh Gerow, Kenneth Bordens, Evelyn Blanch-Payne, 2012 p. 17-18, 391-391) I really liked that it focused on who the person was and what satisfied their needs. I like how he started with a person's needs and what his drive was. That said, I think your theory may be missing some information. In my opinion his theory is too elementary. I think personality also has a lot to do with upbringing and external influences, both in the past and in the future. His theory seems to focus more on the future and real time, rather than the past. Bandura's social and cognitive theory Bandura's social and cognitive theory focuses on behavior, personal and environmental factors. He believed that people behaved a certain way because they observed others. (Josh Gerow, Kenneth Bordens, Evelyn Blanch-Payne, 2012 p. 386) Among the theories of Allport, Frued, Maslow and Banduras, I agree with Banduras the most. It takes into consideration the past, present and future. His theory is something we see daily and it proves itself time and time again, every day. I watch it with my son. More recently my dog ​​has been acting up and I've been getting really annoyed with him. For the past few days I have been raising my voice at my dog ​​without realizing that my son was nearby.