Exploring the universality of personality judgments: Evidence from the great transformation (1000 BCE–200 BCE)

Publication Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-2011

Abstract

We examined whether personality judgments were present in texts of the diverse religious and philosophical traditions that emerged during the Great Transformation, an era spanning roughly 1000 BCE to 200 BCE. Some psychologists have suggested that the tendency of humans to judge personality has evolved; if some ancient societies failed to record personality judgments, it would be evidence against such an evolutionary position. In addition, learning about the prevalence and specifics of ancient personality judgments can help psychologists better understand the prehistory of personality psychology. Eight cultural traditions were studied: two each from China (Confucianism, Taoism), Greece (Classical and Hellenistic philosophy), India (Buddhism, Hinduism), and the Middle East (Judaism, Zoroastrianism). We found evidence that personality judgments were an important aspect of all of these traditions. Not only did people judge one another, but they also offered instructions on how to judge others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Keywords

History of psychology, Judgmentalism, Person perception, Personality

Discipline

Cognition and Perception | Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Personality and Social Contexts

Research Areas

Marketing

Publication

Review of General Psychology

Volume

15

Issue

1

First Page

65

Last Page

76

ISSN

1089-2680

Identifier

10.1037/a0020711

Publisher

American Psychological Association

Additional URL

https://doi.org./10.1037/a0020711

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