Chapter 3
Personality, Perception,
& Attribution
Nelson & Quick
Variables Influencing
Individual Behavior
The Person
• skills & abilities
• personality
• perception
• attribution
• attitudes
• values
• ethics
Variables Influencing
Individual Behavior
The Person
• skills & abilities The Environment
• personality • organization
• perception • work group
• attribution • job
• attitudes • personal life
• values
• ethics
Variables Influencing
Individual Behavior
The Person
• skills & abilities The Environment
• personality • organization
• perception • work group
• attribution • job
• attitudes • personal life
• values
• ethics
Behavior
Interactional Psychology
Approach
The Person
• skills & abilities The Environment
• personality • organization
• perception • work group
• attribution • job
• attitudes • personal life
• values
• ethics
Behavior
B = f(P,E)
Definition of Personality
Personality - A relatively stable set of
characteristics that influence 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
Extraversion Gregarious, assertive,
sociable
Agreeableness Cooperative, warm,
agreeable
Conscientiousness Hardworking, organized,
dependable
Emotional stability Calm, self-confidant,
cool
Openness to Creative, curious,
Experience cultured
Sources: P.T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, The NEO_PI Personality Inventory (Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources,
1992) and 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 Control
Internal External
I control what People and
happens to me! circumstances
control my fate!
Personality Characteristics
in Organizations
Self - Esteem
Feelings of Self-Worth
Success tends Failure 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 states
behavior according to rather than from
the situation and the situational cues
behavior of others – show consistency
– can appear – less likely to respond
unpredictable & to work group norms or
inconsistent supervisory feedback
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
Preferences Represents
Extraversion Introversion How one
re-energizes
Sensing Intuiting How one gathers
information
Thinking Feeling How one makes
decisions
Judging Perceiving How one orients to the
outer world
Social Perception
Social Perception -
interpreting information
about another person
Social Perception
Social Perception -
interpreting information
about another person
Perceiver Characteristics
• Familiarity with target
• Attitudes/Mood
• Self-Concept
• Cognitive structure
Social Perception
Social Perception -
interpreting information
about another person
Perceiver Characteristics Target Characteristics
• Familiarity with target • Physical appearance
• Attitudes/Mood • Verbal communication
• Self-Concept • Nonverbal cues
• Cognitive structure • Intentions
Social Perception
Social Perception -
interpreting information
about another person
Perceiver Characteristics Target Characteristics
• Familiarity with target • Physical appearance
• Attitudes/Mood • Verbal communication
• Self-Concept • Nonverbal cues
• Cognitive structure • Intentions
Situational Characteristics
• Interaction context
• Strength of situational cues
Barriers to Social Perception
• Selective perception
• Stereotyping
• First-impression Social Perception -
interpreting information
error about another person
• Implicit personality
theory
• Self-fulfilling
prophecies
Impression Management
Impression Management - individuals try to
control the impression others have of them
– Name dropping
– Appearance
– Self-description
– Flattery
– Favors
– Agreement with opinion
Attribution Theory
Attribution - explains how individuals
pinpoint the causes of the behavior of
themselves or others