Trait Characteristics

Trait theories recognize that individuals have differences in personality characteristics and therefore are motivated toward different needs.  There are four variables that researchers have historically focused on, the need for affiliation, approval, achievement and disposition.

The need for affiliation is the extent to which a person desires to be connected with others.  Individuals who have a low need for affiliation may choose to work alone whereas people who have a high need prefer to work in a group setting. 
 
The need for approval is the need to gain acceptance from others.  Young children often seek approval from teachers where secondary age students are more apt to want the approval of their peers.  Individuals known as people pleasers often have a high need for approval.

The need for achievement comes from internal factors.  These individuals persist at goals and have high standards of excellence.  John Atkinson and associates developed the theory of achievement motivation.  These theorist determined that the desire for achievment has two related needs:  Ms (the motive for success) and Maf (the motive to avoid failure).  They proposed that for most people, one of these is stronger than the other, and the achievement behavior depends on the stronger motive.

Disposition is the inclination that someone has toward a tendency in some thing.  For example, an individual might have a tendency to enjoy music if the person grows up in a family where musical talent is valued (Ormrod, 2008, pp. 469-476).