fei75766_ch12_377-407.indd 406  02/06/20 12:56 PM
Part IV    Dispositional Theories406
•Individual traits (personal dispositions) arepeculiar totheindividual and
havethecapacity torender different stimuli functionally equivalent andto
initiate andguide behavior. 
•Three levels ofpersonal dispositions are(1)cardinal dispositions, which 
onlyafewpeople possess andwhich aresoconspicuous thattheycannot be
hidden; (2)central dispositions, the5–10 individual traits thatmake aperson 
unique; and(3)secondary dispositions, which arelessdistinguishable butfar
more numerous thancentral dispositions. 
•Personal dispositions thatinitiate actions arecalled motivational traits.
•Personal dispositions thatguide actions arecalled stylistic traits.
•Theproprium refers tothose behaviors andpersonal dispositions thatare
warm andcentral toourlivesandthatweregard aspeculiarly ourown. 
•Functional autonomy refers tomotives thatareself-sustaining and
independent from themotives thatwereoriginally responsible fora
behavior.
•Perseverative functional autonomy refers tothose habits andbehaviors that
arenotpartofone’s proprium.
•Propriate functional autonomy includes allthose self-sustaining motivations 
thatarerelated totheproprium.
•Allport usedmorphogenic procedures, suchasdiaries andletters, which 
stress patterns ofbehavior within asingle individual.
References
Allport, F.(1974). Anautobiography. InG.
Lindzey (Ed.), A history of psychology in 
autobiography (Vol. 6,pp.1–29). Englewood 
Cliffs, NJ:Prentice-Hall.
Allport, G.W.(1937). Personality: A psychological 
interpretation. NewYork: Henry Holt.
Allport, G.W.(1950). The individual and his 
religion. NewYork: Macmillan.
Allport, G.W.(1954). The nature of prejudice. 
Reading, MA:Addison-Wesley.
Allport, G.W.(1955). Becoming: Basic 
consideration for a psychology of personality. 
NewHaven, CT:YaleUniversity Press.
Allport, G.W.(1960). Theopen system in
personality theory. Journal of Abnormal and 
Social Psychology, 61, 301–310.
Allport, G.W.(1961). Pattern and growth in 
personality. NewYork: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston.
Allport, G.W.(1962). Thegeneral andtheunique 
inpsychological science. Journal of Personality, 
30,405–422.Allport, G.W.(1963). Behavioral science, religion 
andmental health. Journal of Religion and 
Health, 2, 187–197.
Allport, G.W.(1965). Letters from Jenny. San
Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Allport, G.W.(1966). Traits revisited. American 
Psychologist, 21, 1–10.
Allport, G.W.(1967). Anautobiography. 
InE.G.Boring &G.Lindzey (Eds.), A history 
of psychology in autobiography (Vol. 5,pp.
1–25). NewYork: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Allport, G.W.(1968). The person in psychology. 
Boston: Beacon Press.
Allport, G.W.(1978). Waiting for the Lord: 33 
meditations on God and man. NewYork: 
Macmillan.
Allport, G.W.,&Odbert, H.S.(1936). Trait-
names: Apsycho-lexical study. Psychological 
Monographs, 47, 1–171.
Allport, G.W.,&Ross, J.M.(1967). Personal 
religious orientation andprejudice. Journal of 
Personality and Social Psychology, 5, 432–443.Final PDF to printer