A PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL MODEL OF TEMPERAMENT AND CHARACTER

In this study, we describe a psychobiological model of the structure a nd development of personality that accounts for dimensions of both tem perament and character. Previous research has confirmed four dimension s of temperament: novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence, which are independently heritable, manifest early in life, and involve preconceptual biases in perceptual memory and habit formation. For the first time, we describe three dimensions of charact er that mature in adulthood and influence personal and social effectiv eness by insight learning about self-concepts. Self-concepts vary acco rding to the extent to which a person identifies the self as (1) an au tonomous individual, (2) an integral part of humanity, and (3) an inte gral part of the universe as a whole. Each aspect of self-concept corr esponds to one of three character dimensions called self-directedness, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence, respectively. We also descri be the conceptual background and development of a self-report measure of these dimensions, the Temperament and Character Inventory. Data on 300 individuals from the general population support the reliability an d structure of these seven personality dimensions. We discuss the impl ications for studies of information processing, inheritance, developme nt, diagnosis, and treatment.