Raymond Cattell And His Theory Of Personality
Psychology and math are typically viewed as two separate entities. As a social science, psychological research often centers on qualitative research and human experience. However, some psychologists choose to merge the two in a field known as psychometric research. One such psychologist is Raymond Cattell, renowned for his theory of personality.
Who Is Raymond Cattell?
Raymond Cattell is a famed 20th-century psychologist from England. He studied chemistry and physics at the University of London, which informed the scientific and mathematical approach he would take to psychology.
Cattell first became interested in psychology in the context of the cultural impact of World War I. He decided to pursue a career in the field and ultimately graduated from the University of London with a degree in psychology. He later accepted various teaching positions at universities in the United States, including at Columbia University and Harvard University.
Cattell then went on to establish the Laboratory of Personality Assessment and Group Behavior at the University of Illinois. He later helped found the Society of Multivariate Experimental Psychology and a corresponding journal, Multivariate Behavior Research. One of the key distinctions of Cattell's career was his use of multivariate statistics to examine human behavior, rather than following the traditional research style of measuring single variables against one another.
Despite these major achievements, Raymond Cattell's biggest contribution to psychology occurred after his retirement from the University of Illinois. Post-retirement, Cattell worked with his wife, Heather Birkett, to develop the 16-Factor Personality Model.
Psychometric Research
Raymond Cattell took a different approach to psychological research than many of his predecessors did. Key to his research techniques was psychometrics, the field of study focused on measurement of qualities such as intelligence, personality traits, abilities, and attitudes. Rather than working as a therapist, Cattell spent his career in psychology as a devoted researcher.
Psychometric research focuses on the differences between individuals. The method has two primary components: the development of instruments and tools for measurement of traits and the refinement of approaches to measurement.
Psychometrics was originally developed with a goal to measure intelligence, but it later expanded to explore personality traits. The majority of Raymond Cattell's research focused on the latter. Psychometric research attempts to quantify qualities of humans. Critics argue that you cannot quantify such things, but proponents of psychometrics claim that many critics misuse psychometric research. Still, the process of defining measurement for a social science such as psychology proved challenging for the pioneers of psychometrics.
Despite these challenges, the field of psychometrics has had an extensive reach. For example, the popular Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a product of the psychometric movement.
Factor Analysis
One of the key practices of psychometric research is factor analysis. Raymond Cattell helped to advance this statistical method in the 1920s as a way to improve current models of measurement in psychology. Factor analysis is a method to find underlying correlations in large groups of research. It can be a valuable tool for simplifying very large amounts of research to find common characteristics.
Raymond Cattell is known for using factor analytic methods, rather than more subjective or qualitative methods, to explore personality traits. He was a pioneer of using factor analysis to study behaviors. The factor analysis method is what led Cattell to identify the 16 individual traits that are central to his personality theory.
Personality Theory
Raymond Cattell made many contributions to psychology, but he is perhaps most known for his theory of personality. Cattell developed this theory later in his life, and his work in psychometric research and factor analysis culminated in this unique perspective on personality.
As with all of his work, Cattell took a statistical, measurable approach to studying personality rather than utilizing observational and qualitative research. He wanted to apply factor analysis to personality. To do this, he categorized data into three parts to achieve a large, comprehensive method of sampling. The three types were:
Life data (L-data): L-data includes information about an individual's everyday behaviors and their behavioral patterns. This includes things such as the grades they received in school, their marital status, their social interactions, and more.
Experimental data (T-data): T-data includes recorded reactions to standardized experiments in a lab setting designed to test participants’ responses to certain situations.
Questionnaire data (Q-data): Q-data includes responses to questions about participants’ behavior and feelings. This data provides a deeper look into a person's personality that is not always clear through behavioral data.
The goal of Cattell's personality theory was to establish a "common taxonomy" of personality traits. He refined previously established lists of personality traits and narrowed categories to simplify the descriptions of personality even further than his predecessors did. The previously established taxonomy, created by psychologists Gordon Allport and Henry Odbert in 1936, contained thousands of personality traits divided into four categories. However, this taxonomy contained some "ambiguous category boundaries,” according to Cattell, that reduced the significance of the work. Raymond Cattell's personality theory sought to both refine the previous taxonomy and create more rigid boundaries that added to the significance of the theory.
The 16 Primary Traits Of Cattell's Personality Theory
Cattell's theory of personality described 16 personality traits that each person possesses to varying degrees. The personality traits are referred to as "primary factors," of which someone can be in the low range or high range. Within those ranges are descriptors of attributes someone may possess or ways someone may act. The 16 primary factors of personality as described by Cattell's personality theory are as follows:
Warmth
Reasoning
Emotional stability
Dominance
Liveliness
Rule-consciousness
Social boldness
Sensitivity
Vigilance
Abstractedness
Privateness
Apprehension
Openness to change
Self-reliance
Perfectionism
Tension
In connection with Cattell's theory of personality came the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF). The 16PF is a personality test used by individuals as well as psychologists and mental health institutions to help evaluate patients. Unlike personality tests that explicitly ask the respondent about their personality traits, the 16PF asks about certain situations and their response to those situations.
The Big Five
Despite his scientific and mathematical expertise, Cattell's personality theory is not without its critics. Most of the criticism is related to the fact that the theory has never been entirely replicated. Thus, the reliability of the factor analysis calculations that shaped Cattell's personality theory may be called into question. Cattell claimed that this was because those who attempted to replicate his findings were not using his exact methodology.
Despite the difficulties with replication, Cattell's personality theory undeniably made a large impact on the area of personality within psychology. Cattell's 16 primary factors were important for the later discovery of the "Big Five" personality traits.
Just as Cattell sought to improve and refine the findings of his predecessors in the area of personality research, others did the same thing with Cattell's 16 factors. Psychologists were able to use Cattell's personality theory as a starting point and distill it down to five personality traits that "define human personality." Cattell recognized these factors in his research as "global factors" that encompass many of the 16 factors. The Big Five personality traits are:
Openness
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
As with Cattell's original 16-factor personality theory, the idea behind the Big Five is not whether one has or does not have these traits. Rather, it is believed that everyone has these traits but to varying degrees. Where you fall within the range for each of the five traits may be a good indicator of how you react in different situations. Today, the Big Five personality test is more common than the original 16PF questionnaire.
Fluid And Crystallized Intelligence
The personality theory is not the only contribution of Cattell's that is still utilized today. In addition to his 16 factors, Cattell is also credited with making the distinction between fluid and crystallized intelligence.
When Raymond Cattell introduced the concepts of fluid and crystallized intelligence in 1963, he was the first to officially make the distinction between two different types of intelligence.
Fluid intelligence relates to one's reasoning capabilities and on-the-spot decision making. It can be useful for solving problems and recognizing patterns. Fluid intelligence may be considered similar to what many people are talking about when they refer to someone having "street smarts."
Crystallized intelligence, on the other hand, may be more in line with what people refer to as "book smarts." It involves the ability to use learned knowledge and skills. For example, the application of a mathematical theory to solve an equation involves crystallized intelligence. Learning new words and incorporating those words into your general vocabulary is also an example of crystallized intelligence at work.
Though the two types of intelligence may seem independent of one another, they are related. Interestingly, while crystallized intelligence may not impact one's fluid intelligence, a high level of fluid intelligence can have a positive impact on crystallized intelligence. Today, most intelligence tests focus on both types of intelligence, though you can take individual tests for each type.
Raymond Cattell's Legacy
Cattell made a lasting impact on the field of psychology, especially in regard to personality theory. Today, employers often utilize Big Five personality tests to evaluate potential employees. The Fig Five tests are seen as a great way to determine someone's aptitude for a specific position or career path.
In addition to employers, psychologists regularly administer the Big Five test to clients to help them discover their strengths. The test may also help give people clarity on why they react in a certain way in situations and the traits behind their behavior. If this is something you are interested in, you might bring it up with a counselor. They may be able to help you sort through the results and figure out how to use the results to improve your life.
Cattell passed on in 1998 with roughly 8,900 scientific citations to his name. Twenty years later, psychologists continue to make use of his work in human personality. For example, one 2018 dissertation (PDF download) found evidence that his 16PF taxonomy accurately predicted satisfaction in marriages. If you are concerned about compatibility in a relationship, a licensed therapist may employ the 16PF or a Big Five personality assessment.
In the event that you do have concerns about your personality or that of your partner, online therapy may provide answers and treatment. Online therapy has been shown to be just as effective as in-person therapy. With BetterHelp, you can get online therapy without leaving home, and you can contact your therapist via in-app messaging. Read what others have to say about their experience with online therapy.
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Takeaway
Although Raymond Cattell didn’t work as a therapist, his findings on personality nonetheless have impacted the lives of many. If you have questions about personality traits and their implications, an online therapist may be able to help you assess your own traits. Reach out today to get matched with a licensed therapist.