Question

Mother Teresa believed that she had a mission to fulfill and did what came naturally to her, loving others and serving them. Identify the trait being referred to here by Gordon Allport and how it affects a person's behaviour. Distinguish it from other traits given by him.

Answer 1

The traits being referred to here are Cardinal traits.

They are highly generalised dispositions. They indicate the goal around which a person's entire life seems to revolve. In this case, Mother Teresa’s helping and loving nature could be seen in her work and all other areas. Other traits proposed by Allport are Central traits. 

Allport, based on this, categorised traits into cardinal, central, and secondary. Cardinal traits are highly generalised dispositions. They indicate the goal around which a person’s entire life seems to revolve. Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence and Hitler’s Nazism are examples of cardinal traits. Such traits often get associated with the name of the person so strongly that they derive such identities as the ‘Gandhian’ or ‘Hitlerian’ trait. Less pervasive in effect, but still quite generalised dispositions, are called central traits. These traits (e.g., warm, sincerity, diligence, etc.) are often used in writing a testimonial or job recommendation for a person. The least generalised characteristics of a person are called secondary traits. Traits such as ‘likes mangoes’ or ‘prefers ethnic clothes’ are examples of secondary traits.