Supertraits: Hans Eysenck
Eysenck (1916-1997) believed initially that all people could be
described in terms of two supertraits, which he believed had a
biological basis:
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Introversion-extraversion (continuum of sociability, dominance,
liveliness etc)
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Emotionality-stability (neuroticism) (continuum of upset and distress)
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Psychoticism added later: less researched. This was a predisposition
towards becoming either psychotic or sociopathic (psychologically
unattached to other people). Also, a tendency to be hostile,
manipulative, and impulsive.
Eysenck designed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ).
A second-order Factor Analysis of Cattell's 16PF shows two factors:
introversion/extraversion and anxiety. So the underlying factors of
Cattell’s scales are very similar to Eysenck’s.
An example of the research supporting the supertraits was a 1968 study
by Giese and Schmidt with a
group of college students over the age of 19 (reported by Eysenck, 1973)
in which extraversion strongly predicted age of first experiencing
sexual intercourse.
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