fei75766_ch12_377-407.indd 396  02/06/20 12:56 PM
Part IV    Dispositional Theories396
letters, then, wefindthatshepossessed about eight central traits thatcharacterized 
thelast12years ofherlife—if notherentire life.Shewasaggressive, suspicious, pos-
sessive, aesthetic, sentimental, morbid, dramatic, andself-centered. These central 
dispositions weresufficiently powerful thatshewasdescribed insimilar terms both
byIsabel (Ada Allport), whoknew herwell,andbyindependent researchers, who
studied herletters (Allport, 1965).
Thecloseagreement between Allport’s commonsense clinical approach andPaige’s 
factor analytic method doesnotprove thevalidity ofeither. Itdoes, however, indicate the
feasibility ofmorphogenic studies. Psychologists cananalyze oneperson andidentify central 
dispositions withconsistency evenwhen theyusedifferent procedures.
Related Research
More thananyother personality theorist, Gordon Allport maintained alifelong active 
interest inthescientific study ofreligion andpublished sixlectures onthesubject 
under thetitleTheIndividual andHisReligion (Allport, 1950). Onapersonal level, 
Allport wasadevout Episcopalian; andfornearly 30years, heoffered aseries of
meditations inAppleton Chapel, Harvard University (Allport, 1978).
Understanding and Reducing Prejudice
Allport wasinterested inprejudice, anddeveloping ways toreduce racial prejudice 
wasoftheutmost importance tohim.Allport (1954) proposed thatoneofthemost 
important components toreducing prejudice wascontact: Ifmembers ofmajority 
andminority groups interacted more under optimal conditions, there would belessTABLE 12.1
Jenny’s Central Dispositions Revealed by Clinical and Factor Analytic 
Techniques 
Clinical Technique  
(Allport)
Quarrelsome-suspicious
Aggressive
Self-centered (possessive)
Sentimental
Independent-autonomous
Aesthetic-artistic
Self-centered (self-pitying)
(Noparallel)
Cynical-morbid
Dramatic-intenseFactor Analytic Technique  
(Paige)
Aggression
Possessiveness
Need foraffiliation
Need forfamily acceptance
Need forautonomy
Sentience
Martyrdom
Sexuality
(Noparallel)
(“Overstate”; thatis,thetendency to
bedramatic andtooverstate her
concerns)Final PDF to printer