Chapter 3
Nelson & Quick
Personality, Perception,
and Attribution
Copyright ©2005 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights
Variables Influencing
Individual Behavior
The PPerson
• Skills & abilities E The
• Personality Environment
• Perceptions • Organization
• Attitudes • Work group
• Values • Job
• Ethics • Personal life
B
Behavior
B = f(P,E)
Propositions of
Interactional Psychology
⬥ Behavior—function of a continuous, multi-
directional interaction between person and
situation
⬥ Person—active in process
■ Changed by situations
■ Changes situations
⬥ People vary in many characteristics
⬥ Two situational interpretations
■ The objective situation
■ Person’s subjective view of the situation
Definition of Personality
Personality - A relatively stable set of
characteristics that influences an
individual’s behavior
Personality Theories
Trait Theory - understand individuals by
breaking down behavior patterns into
observable traits
Psychodynamic Theory - emphasizes the
unconscious determinants of behavior
Humanistic Theory - emphasizes
individual growth and improvement
Integrative Approach - describes
personality as a composite of an
individual’s psychological processes
Big Five Personality Traits
Sources: P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, The NEO-PI Personality Inventory (Odessa, Fla.: Psychological Assessment Resources, 1992); J. F.
Salgado, “The Five Factor Model of Personality and Job Performance in the European Community,” Journal of Applied Psychology 82
(1997): 30-43.
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
Locus of
InternaControl Externa
l lPeople and
I control what
happens to circumstances
me! control my fate!
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
Self-Efficacy - beliefs and expectations about one’s
ability to accomplish a specific task effectively
Sources of self-efficacy
■ Prior experiences and prior success
■ Behavior models (observing success)
■ Persuasion
■ Assessment of current physical & emotional
capabilities
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
Self-
Feelings
Esteem of Self Worth
Success Failure
tends tends
to increase to decrease
self-esteem self-esteem
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
Self-Monitoring
Behavior based on cues from people & situations
⬥ High self-monitors ⬥ Low self-monitors
■ flexible: adjust ■ act from internal
behavior according states rather than
to the situation and from situational
the behavior of cues
others ■ show consistency
■ can appear ■ less likely to
unpredictable & respond to work
inconsistent group norms or
Who Is Most Likely to . . .
Low- High-
self self
monitor Get promoted monitor
s
Accomplish tasks, meet other’s
expectations, seek out central ✔
s
positions in social networks
Change employers
Self-promote ✔
Make a job-related
geographic move ✔
Demonstrate higher levels of
managerial self-awareness; base
behavior on other’s cues and the
situation
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
Positive Affect - an individual’s tendency to
accentuate the positive aspects of oneself,
other people, and the world in general
Negative Affect - an individual’s tendency
to accentuate the negative aspects of
oneself, other people, and the world in
general
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
A strong
situation can
overwhelm the effects
of individual personalities
by providing strong cues
for appropriate
behavior
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
Strong
personalities
will dominate
in a weak
situation
How is Personality Measured?
Projective Test - elicits an individual’s response
to abstract stimuli
Behavioral Measures - personality assessments
that involve observing an individual’s
behavior in a controlled situation
Self-Report Questionnaire - assessment
involving an individual’s responses to
questions
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) -
instrument measuring Jung’s theory of
individual differences.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
⬥ Based on Carl Jung’s work
■ People are fundamentally different
■ People are fundamentally alike
■ People have preference combinations
for extraversion/introversion,
perception, judgment
⬥ Briggs & Myers developed the MBTI to
understand individual differences
MBTI Preferences
Social Perception
Barrie
rs • Projection
• Selective perception
• Stereotyping • Self-fulfilling prophecies
• First-impression error
Social Perception -
interpreting information
about another person
Social Perception
Perceiver Target Characteristics
Characteristics • Physical appearance
Familiarity with target • Verbal communication
Attitudes/Mood • Nonverbal cues
Self-Concept • Intentions
Cognitive structure
Social Perception -
interpreting information
about another person
Barriers
Situational Characteristics
• Interaction context
• Strength of situational cues
Impression Management
Impression Management - process by
which individuals try to control the
impression others have of them
■ Name dropping
■ Appearance
■ Self-description
■ Flattery
■ Favors
■ Agreement with opinion
Attribution Theory
Attribution theory - explains how
individuals pinpoint the causes of their
own behavior or that of others
Information cues for attribution information
gathering
■ consensus
■ distinctiveness
■ consistency
Attribution Biases
Fundamental Attribution Error -
tendency to make attributions to
internal causes when focusing on
someone else’s behavior
Self-serving Bias - tendency to
attribute one’s own successes to
internal causes and one’s failures to
external causes