Gordon Allport is a personality trait theorist who coined the term “proprium” which he describes as the core to personality which represents the positive, creative, growth-seeking, and forward-moving quality of human nature. According to Allport, the proprium develops in stages from early infancy to the adult years.
The first stage of the proprium is the sense of bodily self. The sense of bodily self is characterized by “a sense of one’s own body, including bodily sensations, attests to one’s existence and therefore remains a lifelong anchor for self-awareness”. This is the infancy stage.
The sense of self-identity is the second stage of the proprium. The child develops a sense of existence. This stage begins when a child learns a language and he is able to differentiate himself from other people around him. It is during this stage that the child becomes more aware of his environment.
The third stage of the proprium is the sense of self-esteem or pride. The child at this stage develops self-esteem because he realizes that he can accomplish things on his own. Because of his accomplishments, the child also develops pride. With the sense of pride comes the sense of shame too. Negativity arises at this stage.
The sense of self-extension is the fourth stage identified by Allport. This stage usually occurs between the age of four and six. At this stage the child realizes that although there are some things which are not part of his physical being, these things or individuals are still part of his life. During this period the child becomes possessive, thinking that everything or everyone’s existence is for his benefit.
The fifth stage is the self-image. At this stage, the child becomes aware of how other people view him. This stage signals the start of the building of the child’s aspirations and goals for the future. He becomes aware of the expectations of other people on him.
The sense of self as a rational coper is the sixth stage of the proprium. This is the period between six to 12 years of age of the child. Logical thinking is present at this stage. The child learns to resolve problems he encounters. He learns how to cope with the realities of life.
The seventh stage is the propriate striving which starts at 12 years of age or the adolescent stage. This is the time when the individual needs to make decisions with regards to his future, like the course in college which he wants to pursue or the occupation he wants to get into. At this stage, it seems that the person’s childhood is lost. It is usually at this period when the child rebels against his parents. This is the point in a person’s life when he has to know his sense of purpose and eventually puts direction in his life.
The self as a knower is the eighth stage. In this stage, Allport argues that the thinker is different from his thoughts. The individual during this stage has “a unifying philosophy of life and a personalized conscience”.
Allport believes that it is during the different stages of the proprium that the personality traits are developed. He contends that if one has a well-developed proprium, he becomes psychologically mature and will have an adaptive set of dispositions.
Works Cited
Cengage Learning. "Gordon Allport." n.d. cengage.com. Web. 12 December 2013 <cengage.com >.
Kinnes, Tormod. "Gordon Allport, scenes from his life." 2011. oaks.nvg.org. Web. 12 December 2013 <http://oaks.nvg.org/gordon-allport.html>.
Shrike.depaul.edu. "The proprium: A real self?" n.d. shrike.depaul.edu. Web. 12 December 2013 <http://shrike.depaul.edu/~kmerz/propium.htm>.
Tangen, Ken. "Gordon Allport." 2012. kentangen.com. Web. 12 December 2013 <http://kentangen.com/psychnut/gordon-allport/>.
