In this paper, I am going to explain what the purposes of theories are and how we decide whether that theory is any good, what personality traits are and what the general agreements on the basic dimensions of personality are, and what the evidence of the role of brain function on personality is.
Kristeller 1
Purpose of a Theory
Theory in personality psychology has two purposes. One purpose is to explain what has occurred in the world and they always explain things that are already known to be true. Without at least part of the event being true, a theory wouldn’t be of much use (Carver & Scheier, p. 6-7). That is necessary - an explanation as to why it occurs. A theory also could suggest other ways of looking at things in the idea that it would come up with a different explanation for the event that hasn’t yet been thought of. It is very difficult to predict what will come from a theory as they have a little factor of ambiguity about them. If there are a lot of things that must be considered in a theory, the more difficult it is to arrive at an explanation. It is important that a theory be able to be tested. It is an untested hunch or a guess until you can gather evidence which will support it. Any scientist should be able to predict what they will find if the theory is true. Any new findings should fit the theory but if they do not the theory is either revised or thrown out only to start the process again (American Museum of Natural History). When more tests of the theory are passed, the stronger the theory will become. “Studies of personality provide information about how accurate or useful a theory is”, (Carver & Scheier, p. 7).
If necessary a theory can be