fei75766_ch13_408-434.indd 421  02/06/20 01:05 PM
Chapter 13    McCrae and Costa’s Five-Factor Trait Theory421
basic tendency; what welearn isacharacteristic adaptation. Moreover, ourdisposi -
tions andtendencies arethedirect influence onourcharacteristic adaptations. Char -
acteristic responses areshaped andmolded bybasic tendencies. What makes them 
characteristic istheirconsistency anduniqueness; hence, theyreflect theoperation 
ofenduring personality traits. Echoing Allport, theyareadaptations because theyare
shaped asaresponse towhat theenvironment hastooffer usatanygiven moment. 
They allow ustofitintooradapt toourenvironment onanongoing basis.
Understanding howcharacteristic adaptations andbasic tendencies interact 
isabsolutely central totheFFT. Basic tendencies arestable andenduring whereas 
characteristic adaptations fluctuate, making them subject tochange overaperson’s 
lifetime. Characteristic adaptations aretheconsequences ofbasic tendencies/traits. 
Forexample, thecharacteristic adaptations ofsmiling atstrangers, leading agroup, 
orvacationing atpopular beaches iseachaconsequence ofthetraitofextraversion 
(McCrae &Sutin, 2018). Characteristic adaptations differ from culture toculture. 
Forinstance, theexpression ofanger inthepresence ofasuperior ismuch more 
taboo inJapan thanitisintheUnited States. Distinguishing between stable tenden -
ciesandchanging adaptations isimportant because thisdistinction canexplain both
thestability ofpersonality andtheplasticity ofpersonality. Thus, McCrae andCosta 
haveprovided asolution totheproblem ofstability versus change inpersonality struc -
ture.Basic tendencies arestable, while characteristic adaptations fluctuate. 
Self-Concept  McCrae andCosta (2003) explain thatself-concept isactually achar-
acteristic adaptation (seeFigure 13.3), butitgetsitsownboxbecause itissuchan
important adaptation. McCrae andCosta (1996) wrote thatit“consists ofknowl -
edge, views, andevaluations oftheself,ranging from miscellaneous factsofpersonal 
history totheidentity thatgives asense ofpurpose andcoherence tolife”(p.70).
Thebeliefs, attitudes, andfeelings onehastoward oneself arecharacteristic adapta -
tions inthattheyinfluence howonebehaves inagiven circumstance. Forexample, 
believing thatoneisanintelligent person makes onemore willing toputoneself 
intosituations thatareintellectually challenging. 
Does self-concept need tobeaccurate? Learning theorists suchasAlbert Ban-
dura(Chapter 17)andhumanistic theorists suchasCarlRogers (Chapter 10)orGor-
donAllport (Chapter 12)believe thattheconscious views people haveofthemselves 
arerelatively accurate, withsome distortion perhaps. Incontrast, psychodynamic 
theorists would argue thatmost oftheconscious thoughts andfeelings people have
ofthemselves areinherently distorted andthetruenature oftheself(ego) islargely 
unconscious. However, McCrae andCosta (2003) include personal myths aspartof
aperson’s self-concept.
Peripheral Components
Thethree peripheral components are(1)biological bases, (2)objective biography, 
and(3)external influences. 
Biological Bases  TheFive-Factor Theory restsonasingle causal influence onper-
sonality traits, namely biology. Theprincipal biological mechanisms thatinfluence 
basic tendencies aregenes, hormones, andbrain structures. McCrae andCosta haveFinal PDF to printer