Six solutions to the circular nature of trait psychology

This chapter explores non-circular explanations of personality. Trait psychology has sometimes used illogical, circular reasoning when trying to explain behaviour. Circularity is seen when behaviour is used to define a trait and then this trait being used to 'explain' the same behaviour. However, personality theory has also attempted to move beyond pseudo-explanation by offering many ways to jump outside the trait-behaviour circle. This chapter collates and critiques non-circular accounts of personality, focusing on biology, evolution, human development, learning, factor analytic accounts, and perception. It is recommended that researchers avoid substituting self-report measures for biological or developmental measures, that factor account analytic accounts not be considered definitional, and that greater care is taken to understand the items involved in measuring a trait.