Psychology Essays

Psychology essays: Individual Differences

Extract from:

THE CONTRIBUTION OF RAYMOND B. CATTELL TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES.

In some ways, Cattell is even more versatile than Freud; he is a trait and factor theorist, a motive theorist, a ‘self’ theorist, and to some extent, a temperament theorist. He has been influenced by many prominent figures in psychology e.g. Spearman, Burt, McDougall, Freud, (his clinical experiences have led him to accept many psychoanalytic formulations, e.g. Factor G - Superego Strength, is similar in many respects to Freud’s concept of the superego) which make his theory an interesting blend of strict experimental work and clinical observation. The strength of Cattell’s theorising, however, rests in its close ties to measurement data and to applied work in clinical and occupational settings. His work has had a broad and deep impact upon the scientific study of personality. He has devised a comprehensive theory of personality which addresses a wide range of phenomena, both normal and abnormal, and attempts to account for both the biological and socio-cultural factors that influence behaviour. His theory has touched on many aspects of personality: structure, process, growth and development, psychopathology, and change. He has attacked a range of questions and has made great progress in systematising his findings.

Cattellian primary factors, as seen in his 16PF, because there are only a few in number, offer a potentially useful and well-researched set of dimensions for describing and studying individual differences. The 16PF has had a great impact in educational and occupational psychology, where it is used in vocational guidance and prediction of occupational fitness. Cattell’s various inventories are also of use to clinicians for initial screening and diagnosis and in the aetiological investigation of clinical disorders.

Despite his many contributions, however, Cattell’s work is not as popular as that of, e.g. Freud and Rogers. This is probably because, like the work of Jung, it is considered difficult to understand. According to Ewen (1980), ‘Raymond B. Cattell’s approach to personality is so abstruse that his voluminous writings are little understood, or even read, by the majority of psychologists’.

The language of the theory is said to be technical, his methods are considered complex, and there are difficulties in interpreting his factors, e.g. heavy reliance on factor analysis has made his research esoteric and it can be rightfully said that his work is full of neologisms, (especially when naming factors, e.g. Factor H - Parmia v Threctia or parasympathetic immunity v threat reactivity). Despite apparent complexities in his methodology, the basic tenet of his theory of there being some underlying elements to the structure of personality, is logically appealing and easy to understand.

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