fei75766_ch13_408-434.indd 420  02/06/20 01:05 PM
Part IV    Dispositional Theories420
Inmost oftheirlaterpublications, McCrae andCosta (1999, 2003) focused 
almost exclusively onthepersonality traits: more specifically, thefivedimensions 
(N,E,O,A,andC)described indetail above (seeTable 13.1). Theessence ofbasic 
tendencies istheirbasis inbiology andtheirstability overtimeandsituation.
Characteristic Adaptations  Core components ofFive-Factor Theory include the
characteristic adaptations, thatis,acquired personality structures thatdevelop as
people adapt totheirenvironment andinclude habits, skills, andbeliefs (McCrae 
&Sutin, 2018). Theprincipal difference between basic tendencies andcharacteris -
ticadaptations istheirflexibility. Whereas basic tendencies arequite stable, char-
acteristic adaptations canbeinfluenced byexternal influences, suchasacquired 
skills, habits, attitudes, andrelationships thatresult from theinteraction ofindi-
viduals withtheirenvironment. McCrae andCosta (2003) explained therelation -
shipbetween basic tendencies andcharacteristic adaptations, saying thattheheart 
oftheirtheory “isthedistinction between basic tendencies andcharacteristic adap -
tations, precisely thedistinction thatweneed toexplain thestability ofpersonality” 
(p.187).
Allacquired andspecific skills, suchastheEnglish language orstatistics, are
characteristic adaptations. How quickly welearn (talent, intelligence, aptitude) isaDynamic
Processes
Dynamic
ProcessesDynamic
Processes
Dynamic
ProcessesDynamic
Processes
Dynamic
Processes
Dynamic
ProcessesDynamic
ProcessesDynamic
ProcessesBiological
Bases
Characteristic
Adaptations
Self-ConceptObjective
Biography
External
Inﬂuences
Basic
Tendencies
FIGURE 13.3  Operation of the Personality System According to FFT. Arrows Indicate the Direction of Causal 
Influences, Which Operate Through Dynamic Processes.
Source: From McCrae andCosta (1996).Final PDF to printer