People-Watching as an Art for Authors - Pt.3

Part Three: General Personality Traits

The natural tendency to interpret and integrate information has the advantage of offering a built-in framework for retaining observed behavior better than would be the case of various aspects of behavior wee stored as discrete, unrelated entities. A list of general traits can be a useful guide for re-constructing a target's personality, provided the observer carefully buttresses his judgments with accurate behavioral information, both verbal and non-verbal.

Partial List of Primary Traits

1. Emotional Expressiveness:

frank, placid vs reserved, close-mouthed, anxious

2. General Mental Capacity:

intelligent, smart vs unintelligent, dull

3. Emotional Stability:

free of nervous symptoms, realistic vs nervous symptoms, evasive, immature

4. Dominance:

self-assertive, confident, aggressive vs submissive, unsure, complaisant

5. Mood:

cheerful, joyous, positive vs depressed, pessimistic, negative

6. Constancy:

persevering, attentive to people vs fickle, neglectful of social chores

7. Adventurousness:

likes meeting people, sharp, interested in the opposite sex

vs

shy, little interest in the opposite sex, withdrawn

8. Mental Set:

independent minded, self-sufficient, mature

vs

sensitive, infantile, dependent, immature, attention-seeking

9. Social Set:

cultured, polished, composed vs awkward, socially clumsy, crude, boorish

10. Trust-Distrust:

understanding, gullible vs suspicious, paranoid

11. Social Concern:

unconventional, eccentric vs conventional, practical, unemotional

12. Sophistication:

cool, aloof vs sentimental, attentive to people

Observations are usually limited, often disjointed samplings of another person's behavior, yet behavior is continuous and largely consistent. The observer should be constantly sensible that he is catching discontinuous glimpses of behavior within an evolving milieu.

Present behavior is conditioned by past experience and usually anticipates future situations. Thus, where possible, allowance should be made for the target's immediate past experience and any demands on him in the immediate future that can be foreseen.

This same process applies equally to the observer. He should be aware of how his observations may be conditioned by his own needs, beliefs or attitudes of the moment. Unless he makes these allowances, his reports will mislead and will be open to misinterpretation.

Coming in Part Four: Rapport