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Cardinal traits are rare, overarching characteristics that dominate an individual’s behavior and life, such as Mother Teresa’s altruism. These traits are so pervasive that they can be identified as defining features of a person’s identity and actions.
What Are Cardinal Traits?
Gordon Allport’s Trait Theory provides important insights into the concept of Cardinal Traits. As a psychologist, Allport was interested in studying and categorizing personality traits.
He viewed Cardinal Traits as those that can dominate a person’s life, sometimes leading to world-changing personalities and impacts.
Allport was one of the early pioneers in the study of traits. For him, Cardinal Traits shape and direct an individual’s behavior above all else. Central Traits are found to some extent in every person, while Secondary Traits emerge only in certain situations. Together, these traits provide a comprehensive understanding of human personality.
Cardinal Traits are the most predominant traits in a person’s makeup, but also the rarest. Very few people are so dominated by a single theme that it shapes the entire course of their lives.
Cardinal Traits become so ingrained in an individual’s personality that they become almost synonymous with those qualities. These traits often develop later in life and color almost all aspects of a person’s purpose, behaviors, and attitudes.
Most people do not have a Cardinal Trait, but rather a variety of Central Traits. However, famous historical figures are often defined in terms of their Cardinal Traits.
Some examples include:
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Abraham Lincoln: Honest
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Albert Einstein: Brilliant
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Mahatma Gandhi: Peaceful
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Martin Luther King, Jr.: Just, heroic
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Mother Teresa: Good, charitable
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Niccolo Machiavelli: Ruthless
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Oprah Winfrey: Sociability, openness
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Sigmund Freud: Psychoanalytical
There are also examples of cardinal traits in literature and myth. Don Juan was so renowned for his romantic exploits that his name became a synonym for heartbreaker and profligate.
Ebenezer Scrooge represented the cardinal trait of greediness. Narcissus, of Greek mythology, was so enamored with his reflection that his name became the root of the term narcissism or extreme self-obsession.
What are the differences between cardinal central and secondary traits?
Central traits affect but do not determine a person’s behavior. Secondary traits are also present in all individuals and can influence behavior, but secondary traits are strongly dependent upon immediate context, so they are not apparent in all situations.
Secondary traits tend to show themselves in particular situations. Again, for example, you might generally be pretty easygoing, but you might become short-tempered when under much pressure.
Alternatively, an ordinarily calm person might become very anxious when faced with speaking in public.
What are the differences between cardinal central and primary traits?
Allport believed central traits are much more common than primary cardinal traits and serve as the basic building blocks of most people’s personalities.
Essentially, primary cardinal traits are rare but are strongly deterministic of behavior. In comparison, central traits are present to varying degrees in everyone.
If you think of the essential terms you might use to determine and describe your overall character, such as anxious, honest, friendly, or generous, those would probably be identified as your central traits.
Allport suggested that most individuals have about 5 to 10 central traits. He also theorized that the majority of people have many of these traits to a certain degree.
FAQs
Is extraversion a cardinal trait?
No, extraversion is one of the “big five” broad categories of personality traits. Extraversion relates to focusing attention outward, onto other people and the environment.
An individual high in extraversion (often spelled “extroversion”) might be sociable and outgoing.
It is necessary to note that each of the “big five” personality categories represents a range between two extremes of personality characteristics.
For example, extraversion represents a spectrum between extreme introversion and extreme extraversion. Most people lie between the two opposite ends of each dimension in the real world.
Is kindness a cardinal trait?
Kindness can be a cardinal trait. The thing to make clear here is that a cardinal trait is a pervasive characteristic that becomes the person’s identity.
If you dedicate your whole life to helping others, volunteering your time, making donations, and treating people with endless compassion, you can earn the cardinal trait of kindness.
Behavior involves an interaction between a person’s fundamental personality and situational components. The situation that an individual finds themselves in plays a significant role in how the person reacts.
However, in most cases, people offer responses consistent with their underlying personality traits.
Does everyone have a cardinal trait?
Like mentioned in this article, a cardinal trait is one that dominates your entire personality and, therefore, your life. Hence, we say that cardinal traits are not very common.
Only a few select people have personalities dominated by a single trait. Instead, our personalities typically consist of multiple traits.
How many central traits does a person typically have?
There is no specific number of central traits that a person typically has. Central traits refer to fundamental characteristics that heavily influence a person’s behavior and personality.
Individuals may possess a range of central traits, which can vary significantly based on individuals’ unique experiences, upbringing, and personal values. Some people may display several central traits, while others may exhibit fewer but more dominant ones.
References
Allport, G. W. (1937). Personality: A psychological interpretation. New York: Henry Holt.
Cattell, R. B. (1965). The scientific analysis of personality. Baltimore: Penguin Books.
Fleeson, W., & Jayawickreme, E. (2015). Whole trait theory. Journal of research in personality, 56, 82-92.
Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative” description of personality”: the big-five factor structure. Journal of personality and social psychology, 59(6), 1216.
